CHENNAI, Nov 23 : Sharpening his attack on the ruling DMK, labelling it as dynastic with the sole policy of ‘looting’, actor-turned politician and Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) president Vijay on Sunday charged the Dravidian major with having forgotten the ideals of the party founder ‘Anna’ (CN Annadurai), paying only lip service to them.
He was countering Chief Minister MK Stalin for debunking the TVK as a party without policies or ideology and the DMK ecosystem denigrating TVK supporters as ‘illiterate ignoramuses., This was Vijay’s first mass outreach at an indoor meeting in a private engineering college at Sunguvarchatram in Kancheepuram district.
“TVK supporters are not ‘Tharkuri’ (illiterate), but harbingers of change. This is nothing new. Earlier, in 1972 when MGR (matinee icon MG Ramachandran) launched the AIADMK, his supporters were termed as ‘koothadi’ (follower of film star) and the party was called as ‘koothadi’ party. But Tamil Nadu stood with them! It is history, which they know better than us and that is why they are using what they have coined for insult 53 years ago,” he said.
Asking how can the TVK be dubbed as a party without principles when it had declared ‘Pirapokkum Ella Uyirkkum’ (All beings are equal by birth) as its foremost policy, he said “even before launching the TVK, we have condemned the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and continue to press for a caste census. We were the first to move the Supreme Court challenging the Wakf (Amendment) Act.”
“Those who captured the party founded by Anna have acted in a manner which doesn’t need any explanation as the people of Tamil Nadu are aware of what is happening at present. But it was MGR who chose to have Anna’s face in the party flag, holding him as his guiding light,” he said, adding “We do not hate them, even though they might hate me. Personally, we do not have any problem with them. But, how can we remain as silent spectators when they have come to power by cheating and pretending to be doing good to the people. We’ll continue to question them. We are yet to go ballistic against them.”
“My very first public outreach was personally visiting Parandur in Kancheepuram district in support of the villagers opposing the greenfield airport project. We continue to oppose the airport project. Now, I am resuming from Kancheepuram,” Vijay said on the TVK standing with the people and raising issues of public concern following the path of Anna: ‘reach out to the people’.
Referring to illegal sand mining in the Palar river, he alleged that 22.7 lakh units of sand has been mined causing not only a loss of Rs 4,730 crore but also degrading the environment.
“I stand by what I say. I have no motive other than doing good to the people. We have very clearly declared our political and ideological enemies and remain firm in that stand,” he said.
Asserting that the TVK would come to power in the 2026 election, he announced that the TVK government would provide permanent housing for the needy and a two-wheeler for each and every family. With a focus on radically reforming education and health services, the party would ensure that every household had a degree holder with an earning member.
(UNI)
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