CHENNAI: Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) president Vijay on Friday accused the DMK government of deliberately obstructing his party's election campaign in the city, calling it a "fascist assault on democracy".

In a statement, Vijay said the party had applied on March 26 for permission to hold a campaign meeting at Mullai Nagar junction in Perambur. However, a day before the event, civic authorities allegedly dug up the site and installed iron barricades, rendering it unusable.

"Where did these sudden trenches and barricades come from?" he asked, alleging collusion between officials and the ruling party. He said the police subsequently assessed that the venue could not accommodate 3,000 people and denied permission, terming the location "unfit".

"Is this not a matter of shame for a government that acts against us with the support of certain officials?" Vijay asked. The TVK chief further alleged a systematic pattern of delays and denials. "Each time I try to conduct election outreach, the DMK government cites one reason or another to either delay or refuse permission," he said.

Vijay asserted that such actions reflected the DMK's fear of TVK and that voters would respond decisively in the Assembly elections.