Actor-turned-politician and Tamilaga Vettri Kazagham (TVK) chief Vijay on Monday launched a sharp attack at the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK)-led Tamil Nadu government, accusing them of running a "fake model" administration and mocking them as "stand-up comedy government." While Vijay's address at the TVK meeting in Vellore was a clarion call for the party's victory in the upcoming Legislative Assembly elections, DMK dismissed his allegations and labelled him as someone with little sense of politics.
Addressing a rally in Vellore, Vijay remarked that the political fight in the state is between TVK and DMK, while emphasising that "Tamil Nadu is Vijay, Vijay is Tamil Nadu", a direct reference to the famous remarks from former Assam Congress leader DK Barooah, in which he had said "India is Indira, Indira is India". "In the Tamil Nadu elections, the competition is between Vijay and Stalin, sir. Tamil Nadu is Vijay; Vijay is Tamil Nadu. The war is between TVK and DMK. Today, there is a fake model government. A stand-up comedy state government is currently ruling in Tamil Nadu. This election will be historic, and it's a miracle election," Vijay said.
Vijay also accused Chief Minister MK Stalin of making fake promises, vowing that he would meet every citizen in the state personally once his party forms government in the state. "MK Stalin has given fake promises and is cheating people. After we (TVK) form a government in Tamil Nadu, I will personally meet everyone and go to every district and meet my people. This election is with the Tamil Nadu people and against the DMK government. The competition is between the Tamil Nadu people and Stalin sir. Our vote, our rights, no one can take away our votes. Our vote for the whistle symbol. We will never allow anyone to grab our votes, it's true," said Vijay.
However, DMK leader TKS Elangovan hit back by hailing MK Stalin and stating, 'Those who have some sense of politics will know Stalin's achievements.' "The CM has been in politics for a long time now. He was arrested for fighting for the cause of the people. He was imprisoned for a year during the emergency. As the mayor of Chennai, he built 10 bridges in Chennai, which people are still using, and they are happy. As a CM, he brought many schemes for the welfare of women, students, and people suffering from diseases. Many industries came up, and he made Tamil Nadu the top contributor of National GDP. Those who have some sense of politics will know this before speaking. Some people don't want to agitate against the government of India for the welfare of the people, but just want to become the CM," TKS Elangovan told ANI.
Congress MP Karti Chidambaram claimed that debutant TVK will not be able to convert the vote share into a significant number of seats in the upcoming polls. Chidambaram said, "I have not paid any attention to what he has said today. His party will get considerable votes, but those votes might not translate to seats. That's what I have said previously, and I still hold my position on that."
As the politics in Tamil Nadu heat up in the run-up to the elections, scheduled in the first half of 2026, Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin asserted Chief Minister and father MK Stalin as a national leader in the contest against the BJP. Udhayanidhi Stalin, who is also the DMK Youth Wing Secretary, said about his father, "MK Stalin is a leader who guides not just Tamil Nadu but the entire country. Several opposition leaders across India believe that a democratic battle against the BJP must be led under MK Stalin's leadership."
His remarks came amid the ongoing seat-sharing discussion among the parties in the DMK-led alliance. However, MK Stalin was not willing to grant Congress more than 25 seats in the seat-sharing formula of the state's ruling alliance for the upcoming Assembly polls, sources said. After Congress General Secretary (Organisation) KC Venugopal met MK Stalin on Sunday, Congress sources said that the party had demanded 45 seats. Congress demanded that the DMK be given 20 of the 40 seats it lost in the 2021 elections. Stalin and KC Venugopal have agreed to continue the seat-sharing talks.
As per sources, the talks have already resumed between Congress's Tamil Nadu in-charge Girish and DMK leader Kanimozhi. Congress sources said the party's demand for 45 Assembly seats is based on a review of the 2021 results. In the last election, the DMK contested 173 seats, winning 133 and losing 40, mostly to the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). According to party insiders, Congress believes at least 20 of those lost seats are winnable if allotted to it, citing stronger local presence and better consolidation in direct contests.
Earlier today, Venugopal said that information regarding the DMK-Congress alliance would be shared soon, and that talks with CM MK Stalin were "cordial", but the results are awaited. Speaking to the media, Venugopal said, "We will let you know, finally. The discussion was cordial, but we are waiting for the results."
Congress MP Karti Chidambaram said, "As far as Tamil Nadu is concerned, MK Stalin is leading the alliance, and we are with him. The Congress High Committee has spoken to the DMK. We will conclude the number of seats in one or two rounds of talks. Chief Minister Stalin has formed a good and big alliance, so we have a good chance of winning."
Meanwhile, amid the speculation of former AIADMK leader O Panneerselvam joining the DMK camp, Tamil Nadu BJP President Nainar Nagendran called it his "personal choice." Nagendran said, "It is entirely O Panneerselvam's personal choice as to whom he wants to form an alliance with. I cannot give an answer for that. I do not know why O. Panneerselvam met MK Stalin. Whether he met him as a courtesy call or to discuss allying, I am not aware. If a proper explanation comes regarding that meeting, then we can speak about."
The 234-member Tamil Nadu Assembly will go to the polls in the first half of 2026, where the MK Stalin-led alliance will look to project the 'Dravidian Model 2.0' for the win against the BJP-AIADMK alliance. Actor-turned-politician Vijay's entry with his Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) is expected to turn the Tamil Nadu polls into a three-way contest. In the 2021 polls, the DMK won 133 seats in the 2021 Assembly polls. Congress won 18, PMK won five, VCK won four, and others won eight seats. The Secular Progressive Alliance (SPA), led by DMK, which consisted of Congress, won 159 seats collectively. While the NDA won 75 seats, the AIADMK emerged as the largest party in the alliance with 66 seats. (ANI)
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
