Vijayakanth hits back at Jaya for criticising party workers

Actor-politician Vijayakanth today hit back at AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa for criticising his party, DMDK, insisting that supporters of the ruling party had created problems at his Tanjavur meeting even as he expressed regret for aligning with her for the 2011 Assembly polls.
He said after the completion of the programme headed by him at Tanjavur on Monday, "Those belonging to AIADMK damaged furniture, tore and set on fire flex boards while my effigy was burnt."
A van carrying DMDK workers who were returning from the function was attacked at Kumbakonam, he alleged.
"Having remained quiet for one day, Chief Minister Jayalalithaa has issued a statement saying DMDK men were involved in unwanted acts," he said.

"I feel ashamed for forging an alliance with Jayalalithaa and accepting her leadership, besides striving to help them form government. Did Jayalalithaa not know about us when aligning with us then," he said in a statement referring to the Chief Minister's remarks that DMDK will "stoop to any level."
"I say it again. I feel ashamed for aligning with her. I regret it," he said.

Further, he had instructed his partymen to stay calm even if AIADMK men targeted him or attacked him, Vijayakanth said, adding, they had abided by his word.
The government was enacting a "drama" through this episode to "divert" focus from the post-flood situation, where it had not delivered properly, he alleged.

He also took a dig at the ruling party, citing allegations that supporters had forced volunteers to stick pictures of Jayalalithaa on relief material meant for flood victims.
He said that even after Jayalalithaa's direction that no protests should be held against him in the wake of the Tanjavur incident, his effigies had been burnt at Kanyakumari, Ariyalur and Villupuram district, and asked if this was their "discipline".
Jayalalithaa had on Tuesday charged Vijayakanth and his partymen with trying to bring disrepute to the AIADMK by misleading them from public service and had asked her partymen to stay focused on delivering to the people.

Her party was moving forward by the ideals of duty, discipline and dignity, as laid out by Dravidian veteran CN Annadurai and AIADMK founder MG Ramachandran, she had said.
Meanwhile, BJP leaders Muralidhar Rao and Pon Radhakrishnan met Vijayakanth today, in a meeting the party described as a "courtesy call".