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Opposition leader Vijayakanth flayed DMK chief and former chief minister M. Karunanidhi for playing the “religious card to suit his advantage,” even as he strongly criticised top police officer M.S. Jaffer Sait for conducting himself like a “DMK loyalist”.

Participating in the debate on the budget for 2011-12, the DMDK leader accused Sait of tapping telephones of political leaders during the previous DMK rule and even going to the extent of “fixing alliances (for DMK) and scuttling the prospects of opposition parties (then).” “Karunanidhi raised hue and cry when the government took action on Jaffar Sait, whose only duty was to serve Karunanidhi loyally, and tap phones of political leaders and fix alliances. It was the same Karunanidhi who prevented Abdul Kalam, a Muslim, from becoming India’s President for the second term,” he said.

Normally, only phones of terrorists are tapped for security purposes. But Sait took it up as his duty to tap the phones of opposition leaders and important persons and “this was an infringement of freedom of speech,” he added.

The officer, suspended for his alleged role in a land scam, had been posted at Mandapam.
“If the government acted on such a dishonest officer, Karunanidhi plays the Muslim card,” Mr Vijayakanth said in an obvious reference to Mr Karunanidhi’s contention that Sait, posted at Mandapam, should be allowed to be with his family for Ramazan prayers.

He sought to know why the DMK chief had not supported the candidature of former President Abdul Kalam when he stood for a successive term, if he was really concerned about Muslims.

On samacheer kalvi, Mr Vijayakanth expressed doubts about its effectiveness and said this “could only make clerks but not great people like Abdul Kalam.”