‘Vijay’s win was powered by youths, he is a living MGR’

Chennai: The newly elected Speaker of Tamil Nadu assembly, J C D Prabhakar, said on Tuesday that Vijay had scripted a "silent revolution" in Tamil Nadu by coming to power with the backing of ordinary people. He called Vijay "a living MGR" referring to the late AIADMK founder M G Ramachandran.

In his maiden speech after getting unanimously elected, Prabhakar said Vijay's victory was powered by youngsters and those who wanted a corruption-free govt. "People wanted change, and they believed only Vijay could deliver it. What happened in TN was a silent revolution. It was a Vijay wave, a victory wave, a whistle wave," he said.





Prabhakar said he had long yearned to see the rise of another leader like former chief ministers M G Ramachandran and J Jayalalithaa after their death. "Today, I see MGR in the form of Vijay. He is the living MGR," he said, drawing loud thumping of desks from treasury benches. He also praised Vijay for meeting opposition leaders after assuming office and setting a "new political culture".

Referring to the govt's announcement on closure of liquor shops, Prabhakar said Vijay had shown commitment towards creating a "drug-free TN".

The speaker repeatedly stressed that he would function without bias and uphold the dignity of the house. "After occupying this chair, I will not belong to any party. I will function as the speaker of the entire house," he said.

Prabhakar assured equal opportunity to both ruling and opposition benches and said differing opinions were the strength of democracy. "The people have not sent us here for political confrontation, but to find solutions to their problems. The voice of opposition parties and small parties must be heard in the house. Their rights will be protected," he said.

Quoting leaders, including former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, architect of Indian constitution B R Ambedkar, former chief minister C N Annadurai, and former Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee, Prabhakar said neutrality was the defining quality of a Speaker. "If a person walking on a rope tilts either to the left or right, he will fall. Similarly, a speaker would fail if he loses neutrality," he said.