Vijay in Madurantakam: ‘A vote for DMK is a vote for those who insult women’

Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on Friday (September 25) framed the October 6 by-election in Tamil Nadu as a direct contest between his TVK and the “evil force” of the DMK, declaring that a ballot for the Opposition, the DMK, would amount to endorsing those who speak vulgarly about women.

Addressing a restricted gathering of 5,000 near the Athur toll plaza, Vijay campaigned for TVK candidate Maragatham Kumaravel, the former AIADMK MLA who won Madurantakam reserved seat in April 2026 before resigning and joining the ruling party.

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“Every vote you give to the whistle symbol is the biggest punishment for those who speak slanderously, indecently and obscenely about women,” Vijay said. “If you vote for the DMK or the AIADMK, it will be like supporting those who speak wrongly about women.” He added that he had tolerated insults directed at his own mother but would not accept obscenity aimed at “my mothers, sisters and daughters of Tamil Nadu.” He accused the DMK leadership and family of allowing such speech.

The remarks came against a backdrop of earlier controversies over derogatory comments targeting women, which Vijay has repeatedly condemned as a “river of vulgarity.”

Vijay draws battle lines

Political observers had anticipated a sharper focus on TVK versus AIADMK. The two constituencies were AIADMK wins in the 2026 Assembly election, and TVK cadres have at times attacked the AIADMK more harshly than the DMK. Some expected Vijay to project himself as MGR’s heir and argue that the whistle and two leaves were interchangeable. He did not.

Instead, Vijay defined the battlefield as DMK versus TVK. “Tamil Nadu people’s child is Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam. The DMK is our only competition,” he said. He called the AIADMK a “branch office” of the DMK that had earlier functioned as a BJP unit. “If they have the courage, let the DMK, AIADMK and BJP contest together instead of standing separately and doing secret dealings,” he challenged.

He mocked MK Stalin as “Stalin sir, my uncle, my sweet uncle,” saying the former chief minister remained that figure whether he won or lost, but added that the TVK government would not spare those accused of corruption. He asked whether the DMK was prepared to publish its leaders’ asset lists before and after entering politics. Udhayanidhi Stalin, now Leader of the Opposition, was largely left unnamed.

From arithmetic to love

Vijay turned emotional when he spoke of a long-pending case involving granite baron R Veeramani, who is accused of abusing young girls over many years. He alleged that the previous DMK government had suppressed the complaint. “What dealing is happening inside? Tamil Nadu is asking. Open your mouth, Stalin sir. Even the AIADMK is silent. Is there a collusion even in this?” The TVK government, he said, had unearthed the case and arrested the accused. Neither Dravidian party had spoken, he charged.

He contrasted “arithmetic and mathematics”, the calculations he said the DMK made before the 2026 election and the plans to topple his government, with “the love calculation” between himself and the people of Tamil Nadu. “From the infant in every house to the grandparents, they are my own,” he declared. Thirty-four years in cinema had made him a familiar presence in many families, a bond he said no one could break. He described himself as having “thick skin”, saying he had faced scrutiny for decades.

The contest takes shape

Political observer Dayalan Shanmugam told The Federal that Vijay was seeking to frame a multi-cornered contest as a direct fight with the DMK. Defining the DMK as the sole enemy in a seat the AIADMK had recently won may not resonate on the ground. As chief minister, not merely a party leader, Vijay continues to raise old charges; people may not respond to that in the same way after he assumed office.

Power cuts, tariff hikes and foreign investment needed clearer answers. Stalin-centric attacks belong to a previous chapter, Shanmugam said; Stalin sits at home after defeat. Vijay holds power and should act against corruption rather than merely invoke it. In Madurantakam, where Scheduled Caste voters form about 40 per cent of the electorate, a “Vijay versus the rest” strategy would work only if he avoids personal attacks and lets opponents respond.

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The bypolls will test whether TVK can attract former two leaves voters while keeping the contest framed as a fight against the rising sun. Polling is on October 6. The people of Madurantakam will decide whether the whistle can gain ground against both the rising sun and the two leaves.