COIMBATORE: Criticising the DMK for turning Tamil Nadu into a ‘protest ground’, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) leader Vijay on Friday accused the ruling party of forming alliances solely to secure electoral victories and later loot on its own.
Referring to Chief Minister MK Stalin’s recent assertion that a power-sharing arrangement would not suit Tamil Nadu’s political framework, Vijay, while addressing a campaign meeting in Salem, said,“at the recent Vikravandi conference, I dropped a political bomb on the idea of power-sharing. That bomb is now exploding across alliances, and Stalin is scared. For the DMK, alliances are necessary only to win elections, and after that, they operate as a ‘single team’ looting,” he charged.
His remarks come amid some Congress leaders pushing for a share in power in the DMK-led alliance, while others eye a tie-up with the TVK.
Responding to critics who describe him as politically inexperienced and as an ‘A’ team and ‘B’ team, Vijay challenged them to float their own parties. “Those who function from parties founded by others, do you have the courage to start a party as I did and secure even 1% of the vote in the upcoming Assembly elections? Do they have any experience beyond looting people?, he asked.
Claiming his outfit has grown rapidly, Vijay asserted that after remaining as ‘Makkal Iyakkam’ for 30 years, the TVK, within two years, has emerged as a significant political force and has garnered over 30% of people's support.
Without naming the Dravidian majors, Vijay said they have 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 surrendering both openly and discreetly to the BJP at the centre.
Taking a swipe at the DMK government’s outreach initiative, ‘ungal kanavai sollungal’, Vijay said people’s real “dream” was to unseat this “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 hoping for change, but they were instead “rewarded with an unsafe and anti-people government.”
On Stalin’s claim that Tamil Nadu is always out of control for Delhi, the actor-turned-politician said the state is also out of control in law and order, women’s safety, youth employment and this government is entirely out of control.
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 whom the people have already rejected? 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 it thereafter by blowing a whistle in their ears. “If people are happy, as claimed by Stalin, then why has Tamil Nadu turned into a protest ground? Do farmers, fishermen, sanitary workers, nurses, doctors, physically challenged, government staff, and teachers protest because they are happy?” he asked.
Pointing to claims that Tamil Nadu is competing with world nations, Vijay criticised the state’s inability to conduct even the TNPSC exam properly.