Vijay's resort politics kindles factional feud in TVK
The controversial decision, which requires grieving families to travel hundreds of kilometres to a luxury venue instead of the leader visiting them in their homes, has been condemned by party functionaries as "detached and misinformed."
TVK chief Vijay
CHENNAI: Actor Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) is facing intense internal criticism over its decision to hold a meeting with the families of the Karur stampede victims at a private resort in Mamallapuram on Monday, a move insiders describe as a grave misstep that reveals the party's deepening crisis.
The controversial decision, which requires grieving families to travel hundreds of kilometres to a luxury venue instead of the leader visiting them in their homes, has been condemned by party functionaries as "detached and misinformed." A senior district secretary told DT Next that the move, reportedly orchestrated by strategist John Arockiasamy, has "projected the leader as detached and misinformed," further weakening TVK's credibility among the masses.
This incident exemplifies the broader chaos engulfing TVK, following the party's launch with much fanfare as a "revolutionary beginning" in 2024. Vijay’s political debut, once ambitiously aimed at capturing power in the 2026 Assembly elections, now confronts an existential crisis driven by poor leadership choices and internal rivalries.
Despite the actor's personal popularity, insiders confess the fledgling party is struggling to find a clear direction. A faction of district secretaries places the blame for the stagnation squarely on "a chain of wrong choices," focusing on three key figures: general secretary N Anand, John Arockiasamy, and Aadhav Arjuna, whose conflicting approaches have paralysed the party.
An internal memo catalogues Arockiasamy's strategic failures, from the misspelling of the party’s name at its launch to the poorly planned Parandur visit. It singles out his advice for victims to "meet the party chief in person" as a "grave strategic misstep" that eroded public trust.
The growing feud between the Anand and Arockiasamy camps has spilt into the open, with both sides allegedly using media to malign each other. Senior members stand accused of prioritising internal politics over party-building.
Ultimately, the perception is growing that Vijay has been unable to rein in these warring factions. As one district secretary warned, without a swift reset of his team, TVK risks losing all credibility long before it ever enters the electoral battlefield.