MADURAI: AIADMK Madurai West MLA Sellur K Raju on Tuesday lashed out at Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) president and actor Vijay for his remarks that the lead opposition party would be out of the contest in the run-up to the 2026 Assembly polls, asking him to “control his tongue.”
Rejecting Vijay’s claim, Raju said the AIADMK remains the principal opposition party in the State and that it is the voters — “the real masters” — who would decide the winners. People know whether AIADMK is in the field or not. How can he make such reckless remarks at a public rally, he asked.
Dismissing the show of strength at Vijay’s political events, the AIADMK leader said large turnouts were standard for film personalities and could not be treated as a measure of political strength. “Crowds gather to see any popular actor, be it Vadivelu or Nayanthara. Vijay is no exception,” he said.
Raju cautioned against drawing parallels with former Chief Minister MG Ramachandran, stating that success in cinema did not automatically translate into political success. He cited several actors — including Sivaji Ganesan, T Rajendar, Bhagyaraj and Kamal Haasan — who launched political parties but failed to make a lasting impact.
Asking Vijay to stop targeting the AIADMK, Raju said the party continued to “stand tall like a banyan tree” in Tamil Nadu politics.