CHENNAI: Communist Party of India (Marxist) State secretary P Shanmugam criticised actor-politician Vijay, questioning his political approach and accusing him of shifting positions between parties.
Addressing an election fund-raising rally in Tiruvannamalai on Sunday, Shanmugam said Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam had been holding talks with the Indian National Congress until recently but was now reportedly engaging with the Bharatiya Janata Party.
“What kind of politics is this?” he asked, adding that if another party invited Vijay, he might hold talks with them as well.
Shanmugam said the CPM’s relationship with the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam was based on a clear political understanding. While the Left parties supported the DMK government, they also openly expressed disagreements in public forums and in the Assembly when necessary, he said.
Criticising Vijay further, Shanmugam alleged that the actor-politician had sought a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation into the recent deaths during a gathering in Karur. He claimed that the demand had placed Vijay in a difficult political position, suggesting that BJP leaders could now pressure him to join their alliance.
Shanmugam also accused the BJP of using investigative agencies as political tools and said the party’s approach was either to persuade or intimidate political opponents.
He said the secular alliance led by the DMK had been functioning for eight years and discussions on seat sharing were under way. The CPM, he added, had sought a number of constituencies proportionate to its strength and negotiations with the DMK leadership were continuing.
The CPM leader expressed confidence that seat-sharing talks within the alliance would conclude amicably in the coming days. He said the secular alliance must secure victory in the 2026 Assembly election to defeat the BJP and its allies.
Shanmugam also said CPM legislators and MPs had consistently raised issues affecting people across Tamil Nadu and the country, citing Su Venkatesan as an example of a parliamentarian who had voiced concerns against policies of the BJP-led Union government.