Actor-turned-politician Vijay, the president of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), on Friday firmly ruled out any alliance with either the BJP or the ruling DMK – setting the tone potentially for a three-cornered contest in the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections next year.
Addressing the first state executive committee meeting of the TVK at Panaiyur, on the outskirts of Chennai, Vijay also declared himself the party’s chief ministerial candidate.
“The TVK will never enter into alliances for selfish political gains. Whether it is the BJP or DMK, our party will not stand with either. If there is any alliance in the future, it will be one led by the TVK and opposed to both the DMK and BJP,” Vijay said.
He was categorical that this was not a temporary stand. “It is not just a final resolution, but a firm one. There will be no compromise on this aspect,” the superstar said.
Attacking the BJP, which has been trying to make inroads in Tamil Nadu and which has been talked of as a possible ally of the TVK, Vijay called it an “ideological foe” and a “divisive force”. “For the sake of cheap politics, the BJP aims to divide people on communal lines and reap political mileage out of it. Their mischievous acts may work elsewhere, but not in Tamil Nadu,” he said, adding: “The TVK is not like the DMK or the AIADMK to shake hands with the BJP for selfish political interests.”
Underlining his commitment to Dravidian politics, and its distance from the BJP, Vijay said: “Tamil Nadu is a land where social justice, harmony, and brotherhood are deeply rooted. The BJP can never succeed here by insulting Periyar, Anna, and other stalwarts of the state.”
He also criticised the DMK government on several fronts, notably the proposed greenfield airport project at Parandur in Kancheepuram district.
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Among the resolutions passed at the TVK meeting against the BJP-led government at the Centre were ones demanding the retrieval of Katchatheevu, criticising the “suppression” of the archaeological findings at Keezhadi, and, interestingly, the “treatment of farmers” during the year-long protests on Delhi borders.
The party’s executive committee also resolved to oppose the Melma SIPCOT industrial expansion plan and promised to take up the cause of mango farmers in Krishnagiri, Theni, Thiruvallur, Salem, and Dindigul, criticising the state government’s “mere letter-writing” approach to the Union government.
The TVK also unveiled an ambitious target of enrolling two crore members, with booth-level agents set to hold meetings across Tamil Nadu throughout July. Vijay is scheduled to embark on a statewide tour starting in September, after a second state-level party conference in August.
TVK general secretary N Anand said Vijay had full authority on decisions related to alliances and party strategy.
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While announcing the launch of the TVK in February 2024, Vijay had said: “Our goal is to contest the 2026 Assembly elections and lead the fundamental political change that people need.”
