Powertrip: Vijay’s political entry and the first set of instructions given to his ‘team’

Welcome to Powertrip, a newsletter exclusively curated for TNM subscribers by Dhanya Rajendran, Shabbir Ahmed, and Pooja Prasanna. In this issue, we talk about Vijay's political entry, BJP and the saffron flag issue in Karnataka and DK Suresh's separate country remark..Inside TrackExclusive stories, for your eyes only.Vijay’s five-phase political planThere’s a new political party in Tamil Nadu, and it’s no big surprise that the latest entrant is actor Vijay. It’s no secret that Vijay fancies himself as the next big thing in Tamil politics. So people in the top layer of his fan club confirmed that two days ago they received a call asking them to be alert as an announcement would be made at 12.30 pm on February 2. They were given no other details.In fact, a few of the four spokespersons announced by Vijay were unaware that they would be named. They were, however, given clear instructions on one thing – be civil on social media and that Vijay stands for ‘decent politics’. They were told not to abuse other leaders and to be careful with their language. Given the notorious reputation Vijay’s fans have gained for being abusive towards women and fans of other actors, the first direction by the star had to be on political decency.We’ve been told that Vijay has a five-phase plan as the party aims to contest in the 2026 Tamil Nadu elections. The first phase was the announcement of the party (Tamizhaga Vetri Kazhagam), next will be a launch programme where the flag will be unveiled and the party will be officially launched. Then there will be a meeting to decide and appoint party functionaries. Vijay is planning a massive public meeting in two months, this will be held either in the western belt of Tamil Nadu or in a northern district. After the launch and appointments, the last phase will commence which will include converting fan club members into active party members and strengthening booth committees.The DMK’s version is that the BJP has pushed Vijay to make the announcement. Since ‘plan Rajini’ failed, they needed another party to split the DMK’s votes. While there may be little time to make a dent in the 2024 elections, they hope Vijay can do that for the 2026 Tamil Nadu polls. After all, the BJP only thinks long term. Wonder what Vijay has to say about DMK’s version. BJP to take saffron flag issue to court through proxiesThe issue of a saffron flag replaced by a national flag in Karnataka’s Mandya has become a communal flashpoint. BJP and their new ally the JD(S) have come together to call the Congress anti-Hindu (again) using this issue. And now, we have learnt that a lawyer who is also a BJP spokesperson is egging on a few gram panchayat members in the Mandya village to take the issue to court.The petition is expected to be filed by three to four gram panchayat members on the premise that the district administration had no jurisdiction to bring down the saffron flag. And the BJP is readying the draft petition already. Congress to test the waters after DK Suresh’s separate country remarkBengaluru Rural MP DK Suresh’s statement that south Indian states would be forced to ask for a separate nation if the Union government continues to discriminate has triggered a row. The Congress leader is also the brother of DK Shivakumar and the only Congress MP from Karnataka. So while the BJP has been going berserk over the statement, we have been told that the Congress is not planning on taking any action.A small group in the Congress is keen on seeing how this statement will pan out, to see if they will find takers for it in the southern part of the country. And if it does, it could very well become a rallying point for the Congress in the coming months to take on the BJP.So for now, a statement from the Congress President distancing the party from the statement will be all that’s expected..Zero HourA political story of public importance.Inside Manipur’s new battleground: The border outpost of Moreh.On January 17, a frenzied gunfight between Kuki fighters and the Manipur commandos went on for nearly 20 hours..PowermovesTop 5 political storiesIn north Kerala's migrant settler belt, BJP warms up to Christians Jagan's followers want Sharmila to use her married name, leave YSR's legacy to brotherKumaraswamy wears saffron, leaders trade barbs over Karnataka Hanuman flag rowActor Vijay launches political party named Tamilaga Vetri KazhagamTelangana CM Revanth Reddy announces caste census in the state