COIMBATORE: Continuing his attack on the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) leader Vijay alleged that the DMK seeks alliances only to secure electoral victories and sidelines its partners thereafter.
Addressing a campaign meeting in Salem, Vijay referred to Chief Minister MK Stalin’s recent assertion that a power-sharing arrangement would not suit Tamil Nadu’s political framework. “At the recent Vikravandi conference, I dropped a political bomb on the idea of power-sharing in government. That bomb is now reverberating across alliances. For the DMK, alliances are necessary only to win elections. After that, they operate alone when it comes to looting,” he charged.
His remarks come amid a section of Congress leaders demanding a share in power within the DMK-led alliance, while some have expressed interest in an alliance with TVK.
Responding to critics who describe him as politically inexperienced, Vijay challenged them to float their own parties and test their popularity. “Those who function from parties founded by others and operate from borrowed addresses, do you have the courage to start a party as I did and secure even one per cent of the vote in the upcoming assembly elections?” he asked.
Claiming rapid growth for his outfit, Vijay asserted that within two years, TVK has emerged as a significant political force with the support of over 30 per cent of the people.
Without directly naming the Dravidian majors, Vijay said parties had strayed from the ideals of leaders such as CN Annadurai, MG Ramachandran, and J Jayalalithaa. He accused them of paying lip service to ideology while allegedly surrendering, both openly and discreetly (to the Bharatiya Janata Party at the Centre).
Taking a swipe at the DMK government’s outreach initiatives, Vijay said people’s real “dream” was to unseat what he termed an “anti-people” regime and bring TVK to power. Referring to the 2019 and 2024 Lok Sabha elections and the 2021 Assembly polls, he said voters had backed the DMK with hope for change but were instead “rewarded with an unsafe and anti-people government.”
Projecting the next assembly election as a direct contest between TVK and the DMK, Vijay said, “This will be a battle between the pure force TVK and the evil force DMK. Our target is only the DMK, which is in power and betraying people with false promises. Why should we target others who have already been rejected by the people? Why throw stones into the dark?”
He also criticised the state government over alleged delays and restrictions in granting permission for TVK meetings. “SOP stands for Standard Operating Procedure. But for me, it is ‘Stalin sir Operating Procedure,’” he quipped.
Further, Vijay told voters to accept money offered during elections but reject those who seek their votes thereafter. “If people are happy in Tamil Nadu, why are a lot of protests happening? The corrupt DMK government must be thrown into the garbage by the people,” he said.