The Hindu : MDMK chief begins campaign, a mascot for DPA

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Feb 08, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

MDMK chief begins campaign, a mascot for DPA

By V.Jayanth

CHENNAI, FEB. 7. The moment he walked free out of the Vellore central jail this morning, the Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) leader, Vaiko, announced that he had begun his election campaign. And his eight-hour journey to Chennai amply demonstrated that resolve. His release on bail has perhaps been timed for his emerging from one year and seven months of incarceration as soon as the Lok Sabha was dissolved.

He is expected to be both a key campaigner and major campaign issue.

Mr. Vaiko's release is another in the list of detenus held by Tamil Nadu authorities under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA). Before him, the Tamil Nationalist Movement leader, P. Nedumaran, and his colleagues, R.R. Gopal, editor, Nakkheeran and eight MDMK functionaries were released on bail, following a ruling by the Supreme Court that once they completed a year in custody, they were entitled to the normal bail process. But the State Government has invariably appealed against the bail order and in keeping with that policy, it today filed an appeal in the Madras High Court, challenging the release of Mr. Vaiko.

The question now is; what does Mr. Vaiko's release meant - to him, to his party and to the Democratic Progressive Alliance (DPA), led by the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK)? For the Sivakasi Member of Parliament in the just-dissolved 13th Lok Sabha, it is `conditional' freedom. He has come out on bail in time to launch his campaign for the next election and he will get hero's welcome back home.

Mr. Vaiko has been keeping an indifferent health for some time and the frequent, often daily, trips in police vans from Vellore to Chennai or to Nagapattinam and back have made things worse. He will now be free to tend to his health before hitting the road on the campaign trail. His family will be happy to have him back, even for a few hours once in a while, in the midst of his political and court case routine. He has been appearing as `party in person' arguing his case in the Poonamallee special court for POTA cases. Hereafter, he may engage a lawyer so that he will be free to focus on the election.

Being in jail for long periods is nothing new to him, he having spent more than a year under the Maintenance of Internal Security Act, during the emergency era. It has a toughening and cathartic effect on him, party colleagues say.

For the MDMK, his release will be like manna from heaven. All these 18-19 months, they were running the party taking his advice and in consultation with him every time he came to the Poonamallee court or the magistrate's court at Nagapattinam, besides visiting him in the Vellore prison. Now he will be available to lead the party from the front. As the party is contesting only four seats, the MDMK would like to win all of them. For that to happen, they will depend on Mr. Vaiko to capture the imagination of the voters with his oratorical skills.

Apart from the MDMK, the DPA may gain from his campaign because the POTA and its misuse have been identified as major election issues. While the DMK, the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) and the Left parties will have no problem or hesitation in using Mr. Vaiko as a star campaigner, it remains to be seen how the Congress will deal with him. Personally, its State president, G.K. Vasan, may have no problems or reservations. But the high command will have to outline the framework within which the party must function and campaign.

As for the case itself, there is a specific direction by the Madras High Court to the POTA special court that it complete the case by the June-end. As the Supreme Court has laid down specific guidelines for the application of Section 21 of the POTA - relating to support for terrorist organisations - Mr. Vaiko and his party leaders are convinced that it is a question of time before he is declared ``not guilty'' and discharged from the case altogether. But the legal battle may go on for some time, as there are bound to be appeals either way.

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