Chennai, Jan. 21: A decision on granting MDMK chief Vaiko bail may be delayed after prosecution lawyers at the special Poonamalle court trying Prevention of Terrorism Act cases raised fresh objections and termed his party a “radical chauvinistic organisation”.

The MDMK chief has been in Vellore jail since his arrest on July 11, 2002, for speaking in favour of the banned LTTE at a public meeting near Madurai. Vaiko, who applied for bail only after DMK chief M. Karunanidhi urged him to step out of jail as there was a “lot more work to be done outside”, argued his case forcefully before special judge Rajendran today.

Speaking for over an hour, the MDMK chief termed the prosecution’s arguments opposing his bail as “hard-hitting” — he had been dubbed a “threat” to the security and sovereignty of the country. But he was most irked by the prosecution “branding my organisation as chauvinistic”.

The prosecution had recalled how the 1992 ban on the LTTE under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act had taken into consideration the “observations of radical chauvinistic organisations” in Tamil Nadu, including the MDMK.

Vaiko thundered that after the 1999 Kargil war he had visited every household in Tamil Nadu from which a soldier had died on the battlefront to pay his own tribute. “Is such a person like me a security threat?”

Referring to his July 2002 speech that landed him in jail, the MDMK leader said his remarks should be viewed in their “totality”, for his allusion to the LTTE was one of many statements he had made at the party’s ninth anniversary celebrations.

Vaiko said he had spoken about so many other important issues like the Sethu Samudram project which would give a boost to the economy and create more jobs. He added that he had never said anything aimed at further LTTE activities in Tamil Nadu and never instigated his mainly youth-driven party to violence.

The MDMK chief said he had merely criticised the Tamil Nadu Assembly resolution denying ailing LTTE ideologue Anton Balasingham transit facilities and had urged Atal Bihari Vajpayee to allow him medical facilities as a “transit passenger”.

“The Prime Minister had then said he would consider it (giving transit facility to Balasingham) on humanitarian grounds,” said Vaiko, asking if as a result, the anti-terror law would be applied against Vajpayee too.

Before the MDMK leader began speaking, the public prosecutor said he could no longer argue the case as the advocate-general himself wanted to appear in court. He sought time till January 27 since the advocate-general was preoccupied at present. Vaiko countered that his bail application had already been delayed by five days because of the intervening Pongal holidays.

The judge then posted the matter for tomorrow.

Elsewhere, CPI general secretary A.B. Bardhan met DMK chief Karunanidhi this evening and pledged his party’s support for the Democratic Progressive Alliance he is forging. Bardhan said he had also urged the DMK leader to work out a “minimum programme” at state-level and a vision statement for the country.

The CPI leader said his party was not thinking of having a pre-poll common minimum programme with the DMK at the national level since the secular alliance to “defeat the BJP” would be state-specific. But this did not rule out the possibility of the parties coming together to form a government at the Centre post-elections depending on the numbers.