Vijay's address in Kanchipuram marks TVK's return after a two-month pause following the Karur stampede, focusing on ideological clarity and voter outreach for 2026.
Labels ruling party's ideology as "loot" and dynasty-driven, accusing it of empty NEET promises and voter deception through "drama."
Pushes for caste census, education on state list, and Supreme Court challenge to Election Commission's SIR, positioning as a fresh alternative to entrenched politics.
In a fiery return to the political spotlight, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief and superstar Thalapathy Vijay resumed his campaign trail on Sunday after a nearly two-month hiatus triggered by the tragic Karur stampede on September 27. Addressing a closed-door gathering of party workers, supporters, and local residents at an indoor auditorium in Sunguvarchattiram, Kanchipuram district, Vijay didn't hold back in his assault on the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), accusing it of indulging in "loot and dynasty politics."
The event marked Vijay's first public address since the devastating incident that claimed lives during a TVK outreach program, signaling a renewed vigor for the party's push toward the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections. Kanchipuram, a district with deep historical ties to Dravidian politics—once the bastion of DMK founder C.N. Annadurai, served as a symbolic launchpad. Vijay highlighted TVK's "natural connection" to the area, noting that the party's inaugural public outreach had begun in nearby Parandur.
Vijay wasted no time in dismantling the DMK's credentials. "The DMK's ideology is loot," he declared bluntly, extending his critique to what he called the ruling party's "dynasty politics" and a culture of corruption that deceives voters. He ridiculed the DMK for questioning TVK's ideological moorings, insisting that his party stands on "solid foundations rooted in equality," including a fervent call for a comprehensive caste census to address social inequities. Turning the tables on education policy, Vijay lambasted the DMK for its "empty promises" to scrap the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET), contrasting it with TVK's concrete proposal to shift education from the Concurrent List to the State List in the Constitution, granting Tamil Nadu greater autonomy.
"We don’t make 'empty promises' like the DMK on scrapping NEET," Vijay asserted, underscoring TVK's commitment to actionable reforms over rhetoric. He further accused the DMK of harboring a "personal vendetta" against his fledgling party while engaging in "drama" to mask its failures. "They have deceived the very people who trusted and voted for them. We will not remain silent about it," he added, framing the 2026 polls as a direct showdown between TVK's vision of equitable governance and the DMK's alleged cronyism.
In a parallel move, TVK has escalated its legal battle by challenging the Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) rollout in the Supreme Court, a process Vijay claims could disenfranchise voters ahead of the elections. This resumption comes amid growing speculation that TVK could emerge as a formidable third force in Tamil Nadu's polarized political landscape, potentially disrupting the traditional DMK-AIADMK binary.
