Vijay does a jive, attacks DMK and AIADMK, vows solo TVK fight

Actor-turned-politician Vijay donned his entertainer persona at the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK)'s third anniversary celebrations, held at the party's headquarters in Panaiyur on Monday. He not only hoisted the party flag and paid tributes to ideological predecessors but also broke into an impromptu dance during a cultural performance, sending the crowd into raptures.

As a singer performed on stage, Vijay asked, "Shall I dance with you for a while?" before joining in with light steps that had his supporters cheering wildly. Panaiyur turned festive, with cadres thronging the venue in large numbers, turning it into a sea of TVK flags and banners.

In his address, Vijay launched a blistering attack on the ruling DMK and opposition AIADMK, accusing them of corruption, misgovernance, and outdated politics. Calling them relics, he mocked their reliance on stale tactics. He vowed that the TVK would continue to expose their "wrongs" without fear.

‘Even Stalin would vote for whistle’

Positioning TVK as a fresh alternative born out of public disillusionment, Vijay drew parallels with the AIADMK's origins under MG Ramachandran (MGR), claiming the party had grown into Tamil Nadu's largest due to widespread support.

Also Read: EPS shuts door on OPS' AIADMK re-entry, makes first direct attack on Vijay

"There is no place the whistle symbol hasn't reached," he declared, expressing confidence that the TVK would emerge victorious in the upcoming assembly elections. He quipped that even Chief Minister MK Stalin would secretly vote for the whistle symbol.

"Injustice, anarchy, deceit...all these are led by the DMK," he said, urging cadres to mobilise voters, asserting that only a "pure force" like the TVK can defeat the "evil and corrupt forces."

DMK, AIADMK hit back

The sharp remarks drew swift rebuttals from both Dravidian majors. Former AIADMK MLA S Semmalai told The Federal that Vijay's criticisms were hypocritical.

"He calls the AIADMK a corrupt party. Is he pure and spotless? Let him answer with conscience whether he declared his film remuneration properly. The man who imported luxury cars without paying due taxes and got pulled up by the courts is calling us corrupt. He should first look in the mirror. If he provokes us further, he won't be able to take the counter-blow," Semmalai warned, predicting Vijay would soon find himself isolated.

Senior DMK leader TKS Elangovan was equally scathing, branding most of Vijay's claims as lies. "The Karur stampede was caused by Vijay. Fans fainted in the heat without water or food just to catch a glimpse of him. Yet he walked away without helping them. Now, in his desperate dream to become Chief Minister, he is making these speeches," Elangovan said.

Dismissing Vijay's comparison with MGR as "delusional," he added, "MGR propagated principles even through his films and songs. Vijay is a great comedian, claiming the CM would vote for the whistle symbol as peak comedy. His false propaganda won't work with the people."

Vijay sidelines AIADMK

Observers noted two pointed references in Vijay’s speech that are likely to rankle the AIADMK further. Vijay highlighted the existence of a “DMK-led alliance” on the one side and a “BJP-led alliance” on the other, implicitly placing the AIADMK in the latter camp, they pointed out. Political analysts say this framing will deepen the AIADMK’s irritation, as the party has been positioning itself as the dominant force of any coalition in Tamil Nadu.

More crucially, Vijay, who had earlier left room for potential tie-ups with smaller parties, told his cadres unequivocally, “Our alliance is with the people.” Sources close to TVK say this marks a clear shift from the wait-and-watch approach the party had adopted on coalition partners.

Also Read: DMK-Congress-TVK’s triangular ‘love story’ hots up ahead of TN polls

The statement comes against the backdrop of persistent speculation that TVK had been hoping for a pre-poll understanding with the Congress. Senior TVK functionaries had privately indicated that the party was keeping seats open for a possible Congress entry.

However, Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president Selvaperunthagai has now publicly clarified that the Congress remains firmly committed to the DMK-led alliance. “We are only in alliance with the DMK. Discussions on seat-sharing will begin shortly,” he told reporters recently, effectively shutting the door on any TVK-Congress tie-up.

Vijay to go solo?

TVK’s alliance hunt has also faced earlier setbacks. Soon after launching the party, Vijay had reached out to VCK leader Thol Thirumavalavan for a possible partnership, but those efforts did not materialise, with the VCK remaining anchored in the DMK-led secular progressive alliance.

With both Congress and VCK now out of reach largely due to DMK’s firm grip on its allies, Vijay’s declaration of going solo with a “people’s alliance” signals a high-risk, high-reward strategy, contesting all 234 seats independently in 2026 while positioning TVK as the uncompromised alternative to the established Dravidian and BJP blocs.