TVK chief Vijay accuses DMK of abandoning Annadurai ideals

Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) president Vijay, on Sunday (November 23, 2025), alleged the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) has forgotten the principles and ideals of its party founder C.N. Annadurai. He accused the ruling party of making “looting as its principle” and speaking about ideologies while burying them in practice.

The actor-turned-politician was addressing party supporters from Kancheepuram district at a limited-access, indoor meeting at a private college in Sunguvarchathiram which marked the first public engagement of Mr. Vijay nearly two months after 41 persons died in a stampede at a political rally he addressed at Karur.

The TVK leader said: “Kancheepuram is the birthplace of Anna [C.N. Annadurai]. When MGR [M.G. Ramachandran] founded his party [the AIADMK], he chose to feature Anna’s face on the party flag, as Anna had been his guiding light. But those who later captured the party founded by Anna have acted in ways that need no explanation. The people of Tamil Nadu know what has been happening.”

He added, “Personally, we [TVK] have no problem with them [DMK]. They may hate me, but we do not hate them. But they cheated us to come to power and then pretended to do good. How can we remain silent without questioning them? We will not stop questioning them.”

Recalling he had begun his first public outreach in support of farmers opposing the proposed greenfield airport at Parandur, he said, “After a period of great turmoil, our public outreach programme has resumed, and it begins again in Kancheepuram. We are following the path shown by Anna, who said Makkalidam Sel (reach out to the people). But those who run the party today have deviated from Anna’s principles.”

He strongly objected to DMK functionaries calling the TVK a party without principles. “For a party that declared Pirapokkum Ella Uyrikkum (all beings are equal by birth), how can they say we have no principles? We opposed the CAA even before our party was formed. We have been advocating for a caste census to ensure social justice for everyone. We were the first to approach the Supreme Court against the Waqf (Amendment) Act,” he said.

Problems plaguing Kancheepuram

Speaking about issues in Kancheepuram district, Mr. Vijay said the Palar river had deteriorated because of illegal sand mining. A total of 22.7 lakh units of sand had been illegally mined, causing a loss of ₹4,730 crore. The weavers of world-renowned Kancheepuram silk continued to live in poverty, and the Tamil Nadu government had taken no measures to renovate the old bus stand in the town, he said, reiterating that his party would continue to stand with the farmers over the Parandur airport issue.

“I have entered politics only to do good for the people. I have no other motive,” he claimed, adding, “that is why we have clearly declared our ideological and political enemies, and we stand opposed to them.”

Mr. Vijay also objected to his party supporters being called tharkuri (nincompoop). “We are not tharkuri. We are acharyakuri (exclamation mark) and maatrathirkaana arikuri (a sign of change) in Tamil Nadu politics,” he believed.