Though I am filled with happiness, there is a sense of unhappiness in the corner of my mind. I have raised my voice not only for Tamils, but spoke up for the helpless people all over the world, who made a heart-rending plea for support. I had read Edmund Burke and the great speeches made in the US Parliament and all the great speeches in the world. They nurtured a passion and love to be in Parliament. On my release from jail after Emergency, I expressed my desire to Kalaignar (DMK leader M Karunanidhi) to be in Parliament and he nominated me to the Rajya Sabha. Murasoli Maran remained a guide and moulded me as a Parliamentarian. There were towering personalities in Parliament. Bhupesh Gupta roared like a lion and Piloo Mody could make Indira Gandhi roll with laughter with his speech. Former Chief Justice of India Hidayatullah functioned as the Chairman of the House. It was a golden period. Professor N.G. Ranga was there. A. B. Vajpayee and L.K. Advani were present. I learnt dedication and commitment from them. I used to attend the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) even though I was not a member. Once when I told that the views of the DMK should be heard, Justice Hidayatullah wondered whether there was a DMK member. I lost my sleep and started spending time in the library to prepare supplementary questions. He allowed me to speak and after a month he appreciated me for supplementing the questions with most appropriate points.
How did you persuade senior Parliamentarians to support the private member's bill moved by Murasoli Maran against Hindi?
The first person who agreed to support was CPI (M) leader P. Ramamurthi. Bhupesh Gupta also agreed. We wanted Piloo Mody to speak on the bill. But the bulky man would not attend the session as he reserved the afternoon for his naps. I told him that there was a feeling among South Indians that all the North Indian MPs were Hindi fanatics and if he could make a speech it could give a message to the South since he advocated the idea that only English could unite the country. On spotting him in the House, the Deputy Chairman wanted to know what made him to attend the session in the afternoon. He said, “I am here for the sake of my friend Gopalasamy [Vaiko’s maiden name].” Maran also introduced me to Jyotirmoy Basu, whose homework was unmatched. I used to take his advice. I stayed with him in Jaipur when he was the Chairman of the Railway Convention Committee. “Don’t separate me from my friend,” he told those who made the arrangements for our stay. After the meeting he said, “There ends the story” and it was 9 a.m. He was sweating profusely at 10 a.m. and I called the doctor. He had a severe heart attack and died at 11.30 a.m. I informed CPI (M) Jyoti Basu about his death and accompanied his body to Delhi. Both George Fernandes and Vajpayee personified friendship. Vajpayee was very fond of me and he declared me as his adopted son in a meeting in Bihar. When I step into Rajya Sabha this time there may not be many familiar faces. It is not my intention to find fault with the members. But there is a huge qualitative gap between the debates of the past and present day. Though Anna [DMK founder Annadurai] was a lone DMK member, he mesmerised the House. This time I will be placed in the category of “others.” I may not get adequate time. My performance in the past has created an expectation. However, I am not sure whether I will live up to their expectation.