Why Vijay skipped Keralam chief minister’s swearing-in

CHENNAI: DMK has accused chief minister C Joseph Vijay of not attending his Keralam counterpart V D Satheesan's swearing-in ceremony on Monday fearing political complications.

"Rahul Gandhi attended Vijay's swearing-in ceremony almost like a stakeholder. But Vijay cancelled his Thiruvananthapuram visit at the last minute, fearing problems," Elangovan said. He also alleged that the pending luxury car tax case and the Karur stampede case being probed by central agencies are possible reasons for Vijay's caution.

TVK sources said Vijay is expected to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and a few Union ministers in Delhi on May 22 and that "till then, CM didn't want to be at an event that is predominantly a Congress show." "He shares a good relation with Rahul (Gandhi); but he also wants a good state-Centre rapport," said the source.

"The state's financial position remains precarious and Union govt's support is crucial," said a senior TVK leader. After rubbing shoulders with Rahul Gandhi at his swearing-in on May 10, he doesn't want another grand display of TVK-Congress camaraderie, the leader added.

Vijay, however, plans to visit Keralam after returning from Delhi, and congratulate Satheesan. Ever since the election results, interest around TVK has grown in Keralam, where the actor-politician enjoys a large fan base. TVK-backed fan meet-ups have been held in Thrissur, Palakkad and Wayanad despite the party not being registered in Kerala. "We are planning similar meetings in more districts. We are also planning to meet him in Chennai," said Biju P Antony, a Thrissur-based fan club organiser.

TVK ministers said Vijay had to prioritise administrative work before leaving for Delhi. "The promised white paper on the state's finances is a priority," said a TVK minister.

Meanwhile, Vijay, through an official order on May 15, distributed responsibilities covering 43 govt departments among four senior secretaries — P Senthil Kumar (secretary-I), Laxmi Priya (secretary-II), A Annadurai (secretary-III) and V Vishnu (additional secretary). Each secretary has been assigned a cluster of 10 to 12 departments.