MDMK leader Vaiko alleged the "plan" was to "create violence" between the "Thevar and Naicker communities" in the constituency. (File photo)
Vaiko, the chief of MDMK and the architect of the Third Front in Tamil Nadu, has declared that he will not contest in the upcoming assembly polls, alleging that rival DMK was planning to engineer caste violence "centred around him".
Expected to be the candidate for the Kovilpatti assembly constituency, Mr Vaiko made partyman Vinayak Ramesh file the papers instead on Monday.
The DMK has dismissed Mr Vaiko's charge -- alleging that the MDMK leader had pulled out of the contest as he was peeved about not being made the candidate for the top job by the Third Front. The Chief Ministerial candidate of the alliance is DMDK leader actor Vijayakanth.
"Vaiko's work is over," said party spokesperson A Saravanan. "The AIADMK had given him the task of ensuring the DMK-DMDK alliance doesn't happen... Maybe he is angry that his alliance did not announce him as their chief ministerial candidate."
Mr Vaiko quit the DMK in 1994 after he was considered a threat to DMK's heir apparent MK Stalin. He launched the MDMK but later, patched up and allied with the DMK.
In 2002, when J Jayalalithaa was the chief minister, he was arrested under POTA, or the Prevention of Terrorism Act. Later, he became her ally but boycotted the 2011 elections over differences in seat sharing.
Ahead of this year's elections, Mr Vaiko formed the People's Welfare Front, or PWF, bringing together his MDMK with VCK, CPI the CPM. Later, the DMDK joined the alliance, giving shape to the Front.
His pullout from the electoral contest disappointed the MDMK cadre. An office bearer who did not want to be named, said, "Vaiko's decision will shake the alliance. He's an icon, a bigger politician than actor Vijayakanth. This will be seen as a fear of defeat".