Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam chief Vijay on Wednesday, April 8, alleged that his political adversaries, the DMK and BJP, were plotting against him and using those close to him. In a veiled reference to allegations made by his estranged wife Sangeeta, Vijay said, “They used the people around me. They waited all these years, and now, just 30 days before the elections, at the right time, they spread a false accusation. You all know what it is,” Vijay said.
Though Vijay did not name his wife or mention the divorce directly, several of his fans on social media pointed out that this was a reference to the same.
Speaking at a rally in Palayamkottai, the actor-turned-politician said that both the DMK and BJP were in a secret alliance to prevent him from becoming Chief Minister. He alleged that several false accusations were being made against him to stall his political growth.
“Everybody knows about the Karur incident. But they pinned the blame on me. ‘Despite throwing a huge accusation against him, people are standing with him’ – what kind of mystery is this, they thought. Since that did not work, they planned to stall Jananayagan. They thought I would get disturbed if the film’s release was delayed. I need not spell out who was behind this.”
As that did not affect him, Vijay alleged that the DMK specifically designed the Standard Operating Procedure to curtail his political growth. “‘Let’s ignore the other parties, let’s design conditions solely targeting Vijay. Let’s make sure he does not step out or meet people.’ – what happened? Even that did not work.”
In the aftermath of the tragic stampede in Karur during Vijay’s political campaign, which led to deaths of 41 persons including 10 children, the DMK-led government in consultation with experts, political parties, and activists prepared a comprehensive SOP for election rallies, as directed by the Madras High Court.
The SOP was meant to regulate crowds in public gatherings exceeding 5,000 people.
Sangeetha, who married Vijay in 1998, had filed for divorce alleging infidelity. In her petition, she claimed that Vijay was involved in an extramarital relationship with an actor. Even before the divorce became public, the alleged affair had drawn political criticism.
Vijay said that no matter how many challenges he faces from the DMK, BJP or others, they cannot separate him from the people. “You cannot separate me from the people,” he said.
Stating that the TVK candidates are a reflection of him and all the 234 candidates should be voted keeping him in mind, he urged the gathering to vote for a change. “Our candidates are not Tatas, Birlas, Ambanis, or Adanis. They are our own family members. I have selected one of our family members as our candidate. So do not think of the candidate as a separate person. This Vijay is the candidate and the candidate is Vijay.”
“For many years you must have voted for different parties. But this time vote for your family members, the one amongst you.”