PUDUKKOTTAI: Amid speculation that former AIADMK minister C Vijaya Baskar, who was part of the rebel faction led by C Ve Shanmugam, is set to jump ship to the ruling TVK, the Viralimalai MLA on Thursday held a consultative meeting with his loyalists at his residence in Illupur in Pudukkottai district to decide the next course of action. Speaking to reporters in Pudukkottai, the former minister said that the meeting with his loyalists was an important meeting rather than an emergency meeting.“I have heard the opinions of all important functionaries and others who helped me win the constituency. Even amid a big wave, I managed to win by a margin of 62,000 votes, thanks to the people and workers who worked for my victory. I have asked them to be patient, but they are in a hurry,” he said. Sources close to the four-time Viralimalai MLA said that a majority of them had alleged that AIADMK general secretary EPS had disrespected him. “Many senior leaders advised him to continue under the AIADMK leadership despite all the problems and revive the party of ‘Amma’, while youngsters opined that the ex-minister should resign as MLA and join the TVK. A decision is likely to be made tomorrow. Three options were discussed. One is to continue with AIADMK, two is for the MLA to step away from active politics and three for him was to resign and join TVK,” the source said. However, Vijaya Baskar remained non-committal and appeared to avoid giving a direct answer even as reporters asked him why he did not meet AIADMK general secretary EPS on Wednesday. “I listened to all opinions from 8 am onwards and will continue to do so. The decision of the people in my constituency will be my decision,” he said. It may be recalled that C Vijaya Baskar was among the MLAs who were part of the CV Shanmugam-led camp that rebelled against EPS’ leadership and voted for the TVK during the vote of confidence on May 13. However, on Wednesday, as many AIADMK leaders rejoined the EPS-led camp in the name of “unity”, the absence of both CV Shanmugam and Vijaya Baskar from the meeting with EPS fuelled speculation about their future course of action. “I’m not denying the influence of the MLA in his constituency, but his joining TVK could end up creating the wrong optics. TVK promised freshness, and that perception could be compromised. The other MLAs who resigned and joined TVK did not have corruption allegations against them, but Vijaya Baskar carries baggage, and that could create a perception among people that the TVK party which promised change is no different to other Dravidian parties,” said political commentator Tharasu Shyam .
