Chennai: Vaiyapuri Gopalsamy, known as Vaiko, was expelled from the DMK in 1993 for stridently opposing the rise of M K Stalin, son of the then party chief M Karunanidhi.
Thirty-two years later, life has come full circle for Vaiko.
On Wednesday, the 81-year-old political veteran suspended his close aide of three decades, ‘Mallai’ Sathya from the Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK).
Reason: Sathya vetoes Vaiko’s plan to anoint his son Durai Vaiko as the next leader of the party.
Tensions between Vaiko and Sathya have been rising for the past few weeks – the latter took to theatrics by undertaking a fast against his own leader for “ignoring him.” Sathya also reminded his boss, Vaiko, that he saved his life thrice, besides publicly criticizing Durai Vaiko, the Lok Sabha member from Tiruchirapalli.
“Sathya has been suspended from the MDMK for indulging in anti-party activities,” a statement signed by Vaiko said, handing over 15 days’ time for the suspended leader to respond. Sathya is one of the last remaining confidantes of Vaiko who followed him to MDMK from DMK with several of them ditching him and joining the parent party.
After Sathya’s emotional outburst, Vaiko also responded by accusing his party colleague of acting against him for the past three years. “Once he saved me from falling into the sea. Which are the other two times?” Vaiko asked, expressing his displeasure at Sathya questioning Durai Vaiko’s ascension in the party.
Known for his fiery speech and love for Tamil literature, Vaiko drew the attention of the ruling dispensations through his speeches in the Upper House and became a sensation among DMK cadres which irked Karunanidhi who was grooming Stalin to be his political heir. As Vaiko’s stock rose in the party, he was expelled and forced to launch his own outfit which was a hit in the beginning but lost full steam in the coming years.
Over the years, Vaiko became a liability for the alliance of which his party was a constituent due to his constant shifting of sides and controversial statements. He was arrested under POTA in 2002 by late chief minister J Jayalalithaa, but he joined her party, the AIADMK, in 2006 and stayed with it till 2011 when he was shown the door.
From then, Vaiko’s various experiments – shaking hands with BJP and rallying all other small outfits including the Left – failed, forcing him to back the very person he opposed at the prime of his career in politics.
Having realised well that his political fortunes have plunged deep low and his MDMK being reduced to a marginal player, Vaiko buried decades-long hatchet with Stalin and proposed him as the next Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu even when the legendary M Karunanidhi was alive.
In 2019, Vaiko formally joined the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance (SPA) and accepted the latter’s return gift -- a seat in the Rajya Sabha.
Five years later, in 2024, Vaiko secured a Lok Sabha seat for his son through the DMK alliance and ensured his victory from Tiruchirapalli. Since then, Durai Vaiko has been projected as Vaiko’s successor, irking Sathya.
The man who once derided dynastic politics has, sadly, brought his reluctant son to steer the sinking ship of the MDMK.