South cinema superstar�and now politician�Vijay is determined to usher in fresh dynamism into Tamil Nadu politics dominated for decades by the Dravidian majors DMK (Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam) and AIADMK (All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam).
The founder of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), explaining his party’s stance at its first rally on October 27, signalled the BJP as an ideological opponent and the ruling DMK as a political adversary.
Vijay, in a carefully crafted script, declared that his party will “ideologically” fight against sectarian forces and the Dravidian model “politically”. Making his much-awaited political splash, he made it clear that there was no room for hate politics or looking back, presenting his foray as distinct from those who had shifted from tinsel town to politics in the past.
“There is a group that has been creating divisions in society. Those who create divisions are our first enemy. Those who claim to uphold Dravidian ideology but are exploiting Tamil Nadu as a family enterprise are our next rivals. The BJP is our ideological opponent while the DMK is our political adversary,” Vijay told a gathering of hundreds of thousands at Vikravandi in Villupuram district. He said the TVK had already declared its enemy when it said “equality at birth” was its core ideology. Striking a positive approach, he said “identifying the opponents is not our only political mission, it is to provide people-centric politics”.
“I have not entered politics for personal gain, but out of social commitment. I may be a newcomer in politics but my commitment remains undaunted. Our party’s core enemies are corruption and communalism,” said Vijay. He accused the DMK of deceiving the public under the guise of the Dravida model, calling the M.K. Stalin government anti-people. He said the divisive forces can be spotted easily, but identifying the corrupt was harder as they wore masks.
Despite targeting the DMK, Vijay pledged to follow the legacies of Dravidian icon Periyar, former Tamil chief minister K. Kamaraj, Dalit icon B.R. Ambedkar and two women freedom fighters whose names are etched in Tamil history and valourâ��Rani Velu Nachiyar and Anjalai Ammal. “The TVK is the first party to have women as ideological mentors,” he claimed.
In his 46-minute-long speech, Vijay, dressed in his signature style of an untucked shirt with sleeves rolled up, cotton trousers and slippers, steered clear of the traditions of Tamil political rhetoric to relay, in a blend of Tamil and English, the TVK ideology. He emphasised that the party was committed to an inclusive Tamil Nadu founded on equality, regional autonomy and cultural conservation.