Tamil Nadu CM Vijay visits MDMK founder; Vaiko hails his "political magnanimity, maturity"
Chennai, May 11
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay, after taking oath as Member of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly on Monday morning, visited Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam founder Vaiko at his residence in Chennai's Anna Nagar.
The interaction was marked by cordial exchanges and mutual appreciation.
MDMK founder Vaiko described the visit as a reflection of Vijay's "political magnanimity and maturity", his intent to promote healthy political practices in Tamil Nadu.
"This demonstrates his political magnanimity and maturity; decision to nurture healthy politics in Tamil Nadu," he told ANI.
MDMK leader Durai Vaiko also lauded Chief Minister Vijay's gesture, calling it a reflection of his "magnanimity" and appreciating the exchange of goodwill between the two sides.
"This shows his magnanimity. We wished him on his wonderful victory. We also wished him success. He also inquired about Mr Vaiko's health. We also said that in his endeavour to give good governance, we will also be with him and extend support to CM Vijay. We need to give him an opportunity; he comes with no experience. He has promised a corruption-free government and social justice. We are with him in offering good governance," he told ANI.
Meanwhile, earlier in the day, Vijay met with former Chief Minister and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) president M K Stalin at his residence in Chennai.
During the visit, Vijay also met with former Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin. The meeting marked Vijay's first interaction with the senior DMK leaders after taking oath as Chief Minister following the formation of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) government in the State.
TVK chief Vijay was sworn in as the 13th chief minister of Tamil Nadu in a grand ceremony at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium yesterday. He resigned as Tiruchirapalli East MLA while retaining his Perambur seat.
Meanwhile, all MLAs of the State Legislative Assembly were administered oath of the Monday.
Pro tem Speaker MV Karuppaiah also administered the oath to Vijay and members of his cabinet as Members of Tamil Nadu assembly at the secretariat in Chennai today.
Among those sworn in were prominent leaders such as Edappadi K Palaniswami, O Panneerselvam and Udhayanidhi Stalin.
The Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) registered a major victory in the recent elections, emerging as the single-largest party with 108 seats in the Assembly. Although TVK fell short of the majority mark of 118 seats, the party secured support from several other parties, including the Congress, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), Left parties, and the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), enabling Vijay to form the government in the state.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Let's be honest - this is just political drama. Vijay has no prior experience in governance and he's already playing the "unifier" card. But I'll give him credit for at least showing respect to veterans like Vaiko and Stalin. Actions speak louder than words though. Let's see if this "corruption-free government" actually materializes or if it's just another empty promise. #WaitAndWatch
As someone who voted for TVK, I'm really happy to see this. Vijay is not like other CMs who just sit in their offices. He's actually going out and meeting people. Vaiko is a respected leader who fought for many causes including Sri Lankan Tamils. This is good politics - respecting elders and building consensus. Hope this translates into good governance! 🌟
Interesting to see a Tamil star-turned-politician actually winning and forming a government. In the US, celebrities fail at politics more often than not. But Vijay seems to be taking a humble approach - visiting opponents, respecting veterans. Whether he can actually govern effectively with coalition partners remains to be seen. 108 seats is not a majority and he'll need all the goodwill he can get.
Vaiko calling this "political magnanimity" is a bit over the top. Just because a CM visits someone doesn't mean it's extraordinary. But okay, in the current political climate where every party is at each other's throats, maybe this is indeed refreshing. Let's hope Vijay can focus on real issues like education, healthcare, and infrastructure rather than just photo ops. The people of Tamil Nadu deserve better governance.
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.