Salem: Alliance arithmetic and cash distribution would not help the DMK front in the upcoming assembly election, said TVK president Vijay on Friday. “Any dream of buying votes by giving money will not work owing to my entry,” he said at a public meeting in Salem, hours after the state government credited 5,000 to beneficiaries of the Kalaignar Magalir Urimai Thittam.“They will offer 1,000, 2,000 or even 5,000 and try to extract a promise from you to vote for them. That’s how they have duped you all these years. Receive the money, but respond to them by blowing the whistle in their ears.” He added that the practice of “buying votes with money” must end. Responding to criticism that he was targeting only the DMK, Vijay said he did not wish to speak about those “deleted by the people”. “It is the DMK that is in power. It is the DMK that is deceiving people with false promises and running an anti-people govt. That is the party that must be removed,” he said. “When our target is the DMK, why should we throw stones at darkness?” Reiterating his remark that the election was a fight between “evil force DMK” and “pure force TVK”, he asked the crowd whether they wanted Vijay or Stalin. “This election is about TVK and DMK. There is no one in between. Do you trust Vijay or Stalin? That’s all,” he said.He further said the DMK govt had been imposing severe restrictions on his public outreach programmes. “For other parties, it is standard operating procedure; for us, it is ‘Stalin operating procedure’,” Vijay said, adding that he had come seeking justice for the restrictions. Promising a governance model focused on basic needs, Vijay said his party’s manifesto would reflect those priorities. “Like Kamaraj and MGR, I will deliver good governance. I will not make promises that are not feasible just to come to power,” he said.Vijay said Stalin’s recent rejection of power-sharing demand was a sign of panic, alleging that for the DMK, allies are needed only to win elections, not to share governance.
