
DMK leader AKS Vijayan, the former Member of Parliament of Tamil Nadu’s Nagapattinam constituency, was appointed as a special representative for the state government in Delhi on Monday, June 14. He will hold the post for a period of one year, and a government order issued by the Tamil Nadu government said that the terms of his appointment will be issued separately.
Speaking to IANS, Vijayan said, "I am thankful to the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and our beloved party leader, MK Stalin, for having chosen me for the coveted post. I have all qualities in representing Tamil Nadu as a Special Representative and will perform this duty for the development of Tamil Nadu."
Vijayan, who has been a part of the DMK since 1991, has held various posts during his tenure in the party. He has also been elected to the Lok Sabha three times— in 1999, 2004 and 2009.
Vijayan had served in two Parliamentary committees— once as the member of the Local Area Development Scheme and as a member of the Committee on Petroleum and Natural Gas.
The DMK leader, during his tenure in the Lok Sabha in 2009, brought issues like including Tamil as a medium of education under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, protecting the interests of Tamils in Sri Lanka and introducing wireline technology in villages, among others. Vijayan, who was the DMK’s state secretary for the party’s farmers’ wing, claimed in December last year that it would redress farmers’ issues in the state when it comes to power. The DMK formed the Tamil Nadu government on May 2, after winning the Assembly elections. Vijayan’s statement came at the time when the farmers’ protests against the three contentious farm laws were building momentum in India. In its manifesto, the DMK had also said that it would constitute an annual budget for agriculture, after discussing the same with farmers’ associations and other organisations.
(Inputs from IANS)