Speaking at the Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam’s (TVK) first anniversary celebrations, party president and actor Vijay said, “We are an emerging, primary political force in Tamil Nadu politics with a firm commitment towards creating history in the upcoming Assembly elections in 2026. It will be like the 1967 and 1977 Assembly elections in our state without compromising our party’s ideologies.” TVK’s anniversary event was held on February 26. The party was officially launched on February 2 in 2024.
Vijay was referring to the landslide and first electoral victories of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) against the Congress in 1967 under the leadership of party founder Anna Durai and of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) lead by late Chief Minister MG Ramachandran (MGR), after he broke away from the DMK in 1977.
Vijay added that the start of TVK’s second year in politics is a crucial moment for the party. “At this time, there are certain complaints against us that I don’t understand. The complaint is that our leadership has mostly young people. So what? Even those who stood behind Anna Durai and MGR were mostly young people. The 1967 and 1977 victories were because of such youth. That’s history.”
He also alleged that there were criticisms against the TVK that its leadership don’t come from economically well off families. “Again, what is the problem with that? TVK is not a party of landlords. In the past, only landlords got positions of authority. Now the situation seems to have flipped. Leaders become landlords as soon as they gain political authority. They do not think of the public or the country. All they think of is money. Our first goal is to remove such landlords from politics.”
The actor-politician emphasised the importance of booth-level agents (BLA) in elections and announced that a special conference would be held soon for TVK members who are to be appointed as BLAs.
Vijay further addressed the ongoing fight between the state government and the Union government regarding the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) and the three language policy—seen in Tamil Nadu as an indirect means of imposing Hindi. On February 15, Union Minister for Education Dharmendra Pradhan said that educational funds due to the state would only be released once Tamil Nadu completely adopts the NEP. His stance caused a furore in the state, with all parties including the TVK condemning it and the attempt to impose Hindi.
“It is the duty of the Union government to release the funds. It is the right of the state government to receive it. This is a serious issue. But instead, our ‘fascism’ and our ‘payasam’—that is our political enemy and our ideological enemy–are fooling around on social media with hashtags against each other.
During the TVK’s first ever state-level conference held in October 2024, Vijay had taken a swipe at the DMK saying, “They go on about ‘fascism, fascism, fascism’ and what are they [DMK]? Payasam?”. He was implying at the time that there is little difference between the DMK and BJP. The TVK president had also declared the DMK and the BJP are his party’s “political enemy” and “ideological enemy”, respectively.
During October 2024 conference, Vijay had also announced that the party’s ideological leaders would be Dravidian icon Periyar, Dr BR Ambedkar, K Kamaraj, Velu Nachiyar of Sivagangai, the first queen to have waged war against the East India Company in 1780, and Anjalai Ammal, who participated in the freedom struggle and is known as ‘south India’s Jhansi Rani’.
On February 26, Vijay claimed that the DMK and the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) social media battle is an eyewash and that the two parties had “set it up” to make people think that they are against each other.
“Our land is a land of Self-Respect,” Vijay said, referring to Dravidian leader Periyar’s Suyamariyathai or Self-Respect movement. “We are courteous to all, but we will not give up our Self-Respect for anyone. We will hold all languages in equal regard. Anyone can learn any language of their choice at an individual capacity. But how is it okay for the Union government to disregard a state’s autonomy, the state government’s language policy and force another language on Tamil Nadu?”
The TVK’s anniversary event was held in Mahabalipuram. On stage with Vijay were the party’s general secretary Bussy Anand and election campaign general secretary Aadhav Arjuna. Aadhav was suspended in December 2024 from the Viduthalai Chrithaigal Katchi (VCK), an ally of the ruling DMK. He was appointed to his new role in the TVK on January 31.
Also speaking at the event, Aadhav reiterated his comments against the DMK’s dynastic politics. His similar criticism during the controversial launch of a book on Ambedkar in 2024, led to his suspension from the VCK. Doubling on his stance, Aadhav referred to the DMK as “hypocrites” and accused them of limiting the party’s claims of Periyarist ideals to just talk and not action.
This marks Aadhav’s first public speech as a TVK leader. He also accused the DMK of using caste identities for political gain. “The party who has spoken about Periyar for seventy years, has yet to celebrate Ambedkar on the stage,” he added. Aadhav further claimed that Vijay and the TVK would accomplish electoral victories similar to Anna Durai and MGR in 1967 and 1977, respectively.
Retired election strategist and founding president of the Jan Suraaj party in Bihar Prashant Kishore (PK) was also in attendance as a special guest. PK’s meeting with Vijay and other TVK leaders earlier this year set off widespread speculations across the state. It must be recalled that PK has been a key figure in shaping electoral victories for several national and regional parties in the past, including for the BJP, Indian National Congress (INC), All India Trinamool Congress (AITC), and DMK. During his speech, Vijay told PK, “I am here to work with you towards upholding secular and democratic principles in Tamil Nadu and beyond.”
Before Vijay took the stage, he signed a banner displaying TVK’s various new resolutions including against existing political parties, NEP and the Union government’s three language policy. The banner–titled #GetOut was also signed by other TVK leaders including Bussy, Aadhav and district secretaries. The hashtag is a reference to the recent social media battle between the DMK and BJP who traded barbs of ‘Get out Modi’ and ‘Get out Stalin’.
Interestingly, one of the opening performances was by Kidakuzhi Mariyammal known for the hugely popular song ‘Kandaa Vara Sollunga’ from director Mari Selvaraj’s anti-caste film Karnan (2021).
