A book of parliamentary speeches by MDMK general secretary Vaiko, released in New Delhi by Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, has ignited a political controversy in Tamil Nadu.
What was intended as a celebration of three decades of legislative oratory has instead become a political flashpoint, exposing deepening rifts within the INDIA alliance.
The English-language volume, titled Vaiko in Parliament, compiles speeches the veteran leader delivered across both Houses of Parliament over more than 30 years. It was formally released at the Constitution Club of India in Delhi. Rahul Gandhi unveiled the book, while the first copy was received by former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav.
The event drew a cross-section of INDIA bloc leaders, including former Union Minister P Chidambaram, former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah, NCP working president Supriya Sule, Trinamool Congress MPs Mahua Moitra and Saket Gokhale, CPI(M) general secretary MA Baby, CPI general secretary D Raja, Tamil Nadu School Education Minister Rajmohan, VCK leader Thol Thirumavalavan, Tamil Maanila Congress chief GK Vasan, and Congress MP Manickam Tagore, among others.
Key documents: Rahul
Speaking at the launch, Rahul Gandhi said he could not refuse Vaiko’s personal invitation.
“When Vaiko came to me and asked me to release this book, I could not say no. The relationship and respect between us are of that nature. Vaiko has dedicated his life to his principles and the rights of the Tamil people. His parliamentary speeches are among the most important documents of Indian democracy,” Rahul remarked.
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Akhilesh Yadav, receiving the first copy, recalled Vaiko’s consistent advocacy for states’ rights and federal principles. “The walls of Parliament still echo with Vaiko’s voice raised for the rights of regional languages and Tezzbuzz structure. His speeches will serve as a guiding light for the INDIA alliance in its fight to protect the Constitution,” Yadav said.
Vaiko himself revealed that he had visited Rahul Gandhi’s residence to extend the invitation. According to him, Rahul responded with characteristic generosity: “You have criticised my father very harshly. That was only politics. Leave it aside.”
Political hypocrisy: DMK
The optics of the launch, however, have triggered a sharp backlash in Tamil Nadu. DMK leaders and party supporters have accused Vaiko of political hypocrisy, noting that the very leaders and party he had fiercely opposed for decades were now being used to burnish his parliamentary legacy. Social media has been flooded with criticism that Vaiko had chosen to release the book through the same forces he once battled in the House.
A video of the MDMK leader’s son and sitting MP Durai Vaiko enthusiastically chanting “Rahul Gandhi Vazhga” while leaping with joy as Rahul took to the stage went viral, drawing ridicule from both DMK and BJP circles.
BJP Tamil Nadu leader Vinoj P Selvam said, “After decades of branding the Congress an anti-Tamil party, Vaiko now invites Congress leaders to release his book. Most of the speeches in that volume contain bitter criticism of the Congress. Yet Rahul Gandhi himself stands and releases it. Durai Vaiko shouts slogans like a rank-and-file worker. Such opportunism should not even befall our enemies. For Vaiko, Rahul’s presence must have felt like honey flowing into his heart.”
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Former MDMK colleague and now BJP leader KS Radhakrishnan, who travelled with Vaiko for years before quitting the party, added, “The first irony is that a book filled with anti-Congress speeches is released by the Congress leader himself. The second is that banners carried photographs of Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav, and even of actor Vijay who did not attend. Vaiko has always done this, putting up the picture of whoever is in power. He must always cling to some position.”
Different perspectives of Vaiko
Senior journalist Savithri Kannan offered a different perspective: “Vaiko has not newly joined the Congress. He has been part of the Congress-led INDIA alliance for years. He even tried to prevent the DMK from walking out of the INDIA bloc. DMK cadres are now using Vaiko as a punching bag to vent their anger at the Congress. Every charge they level against him applies equally to the DMK. Where has the DMK’s fierce anti-BJP stand gone? Recently in Chennai, Rahul Gandhi called those who support the delimitation Bill ‘traitors.’ Yet the DMK has still not said it will oppose the Bill.”
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Political observer Dayalan Shanmugam was more critical of Vaiko’s present stature. He said, “There was a time when people would stand and listen whenever Vaiko spoke. Today his position is pitiable. Eighty per cent of the book is anti-Congress. From 1984 to 2010 he attacked the Congress relentlessly. During the Gujarat riots, the BJP used Vaiko in Parliament to hit back at the Congress by recalling the Emergency. Does Rahul Gandhi even know those speeches are in the book? DMK raised Vaiko, yet not a single DMK leader was invited. Even Kanimozhi should have been called. The entire Delhi event was pure irony.”
‘Udhayanidhi must main dignity as LoP’: Vaiko
Vaiko has not remained silent. In a sharp counter-attack, he strongly condemned remarks made by DMK leader and Leader of the Opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin at a party protest in Thanjavur.
“Udhayanidhi Stalin’s speech crossing all limits and targeting Chief Minister Joseph Vijay is highly condemnable. As Leader of the Opposition, he must maintain dignity. Instead, he has resorted to cheap and vulgar language against the Chief Minister, which does not befit the office he holds. By using the Cauvery issue to disrupt governance and conduct politics, Udhayanidhi has placed himself in the list of fourth-rate speakers. He must realise this,” Vaiko said.
Internal revolt in MDMK
The war of words took a dramatic turn when two MDMK MLAs elected on the DMK’s rising sun (Udaya Suriyan) symbol, who had remained silent until now, openly met DMK leaders. They declared that Vaiko had asked them to resign their seats and that they had refused.
“We will not resign. We will continue as DMK MLAs,” they announced defiantly.
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The legislators reiterated that they would continue as DMK MLAs. Speaking at a press conference at the DMK headquarters Arivalayam, the two MDMK MLAs alleged that Vaiko had lured them with the promise of ministerial berths.
“Vaiko told us he would make us ministers. We did not fall for those sweet words of assurance,” they declared firmly.
The development is widely viewed as a severe setback for Vaiko and a public signal of internal revolt.
Love-hate relationship with DMK
Vaiko started using corruption allegations as his next weapon after leaving the DMK alliance. He alleged that the five-year DMK rule involved rampant corruption, requiring big commissions for many transactions. Even securing a helper’s job required a bribe, and starting an industry demanded several crores in bribes, he said. Vaiko stayed silent earlier only because of alliance dharma.
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Observers note the larger irony. Vaiko, who broke away from the DMK decades ago accusing it of dynastic politics and founded the MDMK, now finds himself once again locked in confrontation with his parent party. Having exited the DMK-led alliance and extending support the TVK, the veteran appears to be girding up for yet another political battle with the party that once nurtured him.
‘Lion of Parliament’
Vaiko, once hailed as the “Lion of Parliament”, is widely known for his fiery speeches. From 1976 onwards, Karunanidhi nominated Vaiko to the Rajya Sabha for three consecutive terms. Even Indira Gandhi once praised him saying, “Whether my 200 members or Vaiko alone, both are equal.”
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Over the years, Vaiko has also authored more than 50 books.