Vaiko
Vaiko, birth name Vaiyapuri Gopalsamy, is an Indian politician. He was a member of the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Parliament of India from Tamil Nadu. He is the founder and General Secretary of the Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, a political party active mainly in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. He was earlier elected to the Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Parliament of India from Sivakasi, Tamil Nadu.
Birth
Vaiko was born in Kalingapatty near Sankarankovil, Madras Presidency.Education
He graduated with a Gold Medal in his Bachelor of arts degree in economics from St. Xavier's College, Palayamkottai and masters from Presidency College, Chennai. He obtained his bachelor's degree in law from Madras Law College. He is an avid reader and orator known for his oratory skills both in Tamil and English. He has two daughters and a son.Political career
Vaiko is now the general secretary of the MDMK party. Vaiko was a part of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and was formerly a close colleague of former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Kalaignar M. Karunanidhi. Vaiko has been involved in and led anti-Hindi agitations of Tamil Nadu.He entered the Rajya Sabha in 1978 and has been member of the Upper House for three terms. He has also been elected to the Lok Sabha twice.
Vaiko was known as "Lion Of Parliament" due to his vociferous speeches in Parliament. Vaiko protested against Kerala's demand for a new dam at Mullaperiyar and proposed building of dams in Pambar and Siruvani. Vaiko also supported national interlinking of rivers and Sethusamudram Shipping Canal Project. Vaiko filed a Public Interest Litigation in Madras High Court requesting closure of the copper smelting plant of Sterlite Industries in Tuticorin which did not follow the waste management procedures correctly and leading to the closure of the plant.
Vaiko often goes on foot marches along with his party cadres to attract attention to issues.
Support of LTTE
Vaiko unequivocally supported Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and other organizations fighting for a separate Tamil Eelam country in Sri Lanka. He made a trip to Eelam 1989 at the height of the Tamil Tigers war with Sri Lankan Army when IPKF Indian Peace Keeping Force was at Jaffna. Vaiko was the first member of Parliament and chief of a registered political party in the country to be detained under the Prevention of Terrorism Act, 2002 by Jayalalithaa government. He was released after spending 18 months in prison.In 2008, Criminal Investigation Department of Tamil Nadu police arrested Vaiko on charges of sedition. The charges stemmed from speeches Vaiko made at a party meeting on the Sri Lankan issue and the government's raids into LTTE-held areas on 21 October 2008. After 14 days in judicial custody, Vaiko was released.
Vaiko has said that India should retract its ban on the LTTE, claiming the ban was a shield to suppress freedom of expression and stifle the voice of the Opposition.
On 3 April 2017, Vaiko was jailed in for sedition case filed by DMK in their 2010 regime.