Houses, cars, jobs: TVK chief Vijay throws hints

CHENNAI: In his first political interaction on Sunday since the September 27 Karur stampede, that killed 41 people, actor and Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) president Vijay unveiled an ambitious socio-economic vision, placing education, permanent housing and guaranteed livelihood at the centre of his party’s political agenda.

Addressing thousands of supporters, brought in batches from Kancheepuram, at an indoor meet ‘Makkal Sandhippu’, held in Sunguvarchatram, he said every household must be empowered to own a permanent house, have at least one graduate, secure a stable income source, and attain the economic ability to own a motorcycle and, eventually, a car.

“These are not mere slogans or dreams. We will work to make them a reality. A home for every family, education for every young person and income security for every household. This is the future Tamil Nadu deserves,” Vijay said, adding, "If we come to power, wait, we will come; the people will certainly bring us to power. Won't the people willingly bring in a government for the sake of people? We will definitely give a detailed explanation of what we intend to do in our government in our election manifesto. But before that, I want to touch upon it."

Outlining his vision, Vijay said reforms in school and college curricula, strengthening public healthcare, upgrading government hospitals to restore trust, enabling large-scale industrial growth, ensuring stronger measures for women’s safety and providing targeted welfare for fishermen, farmers, weavers, government employees, teachers and labourers would shape TVK’s policy framework.

He stressed that governance should be based on measurable progress and not merely on announcements. “Plans must be real. They cannot be gimmicks. With input from people, fishermen, weavers, labourers and teachers, we will create systems that actually work and implement them without compromise,” he said.