CHENNAI: Making an aggressive final pitch on the last day of campaigning, actor-politician and Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) president C Joseph Vijay on Tuesday expressed confidence of capturing power, asserting that a surge of youth and women voters would overturn conventional alliance arithmetic and unseat the ruling DMK.
Addressing party workers at YMCA Grounds, Nandanam, after a roadshow, and in an open letter to voters, Vijay framed the April 23 poll as a decisive battle to “save democracy” and send the DMK government led by Chief Minister MK Stalin home. He urged voters to back the party’s ‘whistle’ symbol, warning against the influence of money power.
“Even if corrupt money flows like a deluge, you must step out with your families and vote for the whistle symbol alone,” he said, adding that votes for other parties would directly or indirectly aid “divisive forces”.
Rejecting opinion polls as “manufactured narratives”, Vijay claimed the electorate’s demographic profile favours TVK. “Voters below 40 number over 2.37 crore, and those up to 50 are 3.65 crore, including 1.77 crore women. These are decisive numbers,” he said, insisting the “youth wave is not a ripple, but a tsunami”.
Stepping up attacks on rivals, Vijay targeted the DMK, BJP and AIADMK, alleging a covert understanding between political opponents and accusing them of being anti-people. He questioned the credibility of leaders who avoid contesting beyond their strongholds and said such parties would ultimately “fall at the feet of national leaders” to escape corruption cases.
Accusing the DMK government of raising multiple taxes and pushing the State’s debt to around Rs 5 lakh crore, Vijay said the funds could have been used to address key issues or waive students’ education loans.
Striking an emotive note, he said he entered politics to repay the people of Tamil Nadu and would not yield to “fascist-minded, anti-people forces” or corporate pressures. “They cannot silence your son with offers or intimidate your brother with authority,” he said.
Reiterating TVK’s plank of secular social justice, Vijay appealed to minorities, saying he would stand with all faiths. Projecting the contest as one against entrenched forces, he called for a “whistle revolution” and expressed confidence that voters would deliver a decisive verdict.