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Trichy witnessed massive traffic disruption, on Saturday, September 13, as the debut public meeting of actor-politician Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), delayed by nearly five hours, paralysed the city’s roads. The congestion sparked frustration among commuters, disrupted emergency services, and hurt local businesses.
Referring to this, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) president and Chief Minister MK Stalin indirectly criticised the Vijay-led party while addressing DMK cadres. In his letter to DMK cadre, inviting them to the ‘Mupperum Vizha’ which will be held on September 17 in Karur, Stalin said that the DMK is a principled party.
“DMK is a party that holds gatherings based on principles. Our cadres do not cause disturbances or inconvenience the public. We assemble with ideological commitment and disperse as warriors of those ideals,” Stalin wrote, taking a veiled dig at TVK.
The 'Mupperum Vizha' is organised to mark the birth anniversary of DMK founder CN Annadurai, the party's founding day and the birth anniversary of social reformer Periyar EV Ramasamy.
On Saturday, actor Vijay began his campaign in Trichy for the upcoming 2026 Assembly elections. After Vijay landed at Trichy airport on a private charter flight around 9.30 am, cadres and fans barged into the airport to welcome him. His campaign vehicle was surrounded by TVK supporters as a result of which the vehicle was forced to move slowly.
Though police had permitted TVK’s roadshow between 10.30 am and 11 am, Vijay’s campaign vehicle moved at a snail’s pace, surrounded by thousands of supporters. He eventually reached the venue in Marakkadai only around 3 pm — nearly five hours late.
This delay led to severe snarl-ups across the city, particularly on the Tiruchy-Pudukkottai and Tiruchy-Chennai National Highways, TVS Tollgate, Head Post Office Junction, Melapudur, Palakkarai, Thennur, Gandhi Market, Court Road, and surrounding areas.
Among those caught in the gridlock was Congress Rajya Sabha MP and former finance minister P Chidambaram. Public transport services were also badly affected, as Marakkadai, the rally venue, is a major bus hub linking the city’s Central and Chathiram bus stands.