News Tamil Nadu

Actor Vijay Finally Wishes PM Modi For Becoming PM, Is TVK A DMK Proxy?

June 10, 2024
Satheesh

Finally, the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin and actor-turned-politician Vijay have both extended their greetings to the BJP, led by Narendra Modi, on his swearing-in for a third consecutive term as India’s Prime Minister. However, their congratulations were not without reservations.

Narendra Modi was sworn in as Prime Minister for the third successive term, along with his 71 ministers, on the evening of 9 June 2024. In the new coalition government, 30 Cabinet Ministers, five Ministers of State with Independent Charge, and 36 Ministers of State took the oath of secrecy and office administered by President Droupadi Murmu. Notably, Narendra Modi became the first person since former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru in 1962 to be elected as PM for a third consecutive term.

Against this backdrop, Tamil Nadu leaders extended their wishes. AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Paniswami, despite an ongoing tussle with the Tamil Nadu unit BJP and a severed alliance, extended his greetings on 7 June 2024, before the swearing-in ceremony. On his official handle, he stated, “I extend my hearty Congratulations on behalf of @AIADMKOfficial to Honourable @narendramodi avl, on assuming the office of Prime Minister of India for the third consecutive term.”

However, the opposition DMK in Tamil Nadu, along with proxy full-time actors turned politicians, extended their congratulations after the swearing-in ceremony. Chief Minister MK Stalin, via his official X account, stated, “Congratulations to Thiru.@narendramodi on being sworn in as Prime Minister for the third consecutive time. We hope that, as PM, you will work in the true spirit to uphold the Constitution, maintain the secular nature of our country, promote cooperative federalism, respect states’ rights, and safeguard our democracy.” However, he faced criticism from netizens for emphasizing the need to maintain the secular nature of the country, considering his selective greetings for Hindu festivals in Tamil Nadu.

Only after MK Stalin extended his wishes did part-time politicians and full-time actors Kamal Haasan and Vijay offer their congratulations. Kamal Haasan, on his official X account, expressed, “Nations that harness their greatest strength – their people – shall accomplish the greatest glories. Congratulations to the Hon. Prime Minister of India, Shri @narendramodi ji, on your third term. In the spirit of national interest, unity, and patriotic duty, let the elected representatives of the 18th Lok Sabha, work together to fulfil the dream of a stronger, brighter, and more inclusive India. Jai Hind!”

Actor Vijay, on his official X account, stated, “I extend my congratulations to Thiru.@narendramodi Avl on being sworn in as @PMOIndia for the third consecutive term.”

While Kamal Haasan’s gesture may be understandable due to his alignment with the DMK as he has allegedly mortgaged his party to the DMK making a merger of sorts and strategically secured a Rajya Sabha seat for himself, critics suggest Vijay’s actions mirror the DMK’s strategies with his role as a proxy for the party, potentially aiming to influence the 2026 assembly elections to split opposition votes and benefit the DMK.

Is Vijay’s TVK Acting As A DMK Proxy? 

Yes, it appears that way. Critics, including political commentators, are pointing out that Vijay’s TVK party and Vijay himself are conspicuously absent from engaging in significant issues in Tamil Nadu. Instead, Vijay seems to be solely focused on issuing congratulatory messages through his social media handles.

Actor Vijay entered into politics with the formation of his party Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam in February 2024 and this move has often been compared to fellow actor and part-time politician Kamal Haasan and his party Makkal Needhi Maiam. This parallel is evident in the strategic moves and statements made by Vijay, which align closely with the ideology of the Dravidian movement and the DMK.

The political landscape of Tamil Nadu, gearing up for the 2026 state legislative assembly elections, will also be witness to yet another cine star namely Vijay, seemingly propelled by the DMK to echo their Dravidian ideology and potentially further divide the votes in the state.

This strategy echoes the historical move where Kamal Haasan entered politics at a time when actor Rajinikanth was contemplating starting his own party, with Rajinikanth’s vision leaning towards spiritual politics. To counter this, the DMK strategically supported Kamal Haasan’s political debut to split the votes.

A notable example of Vijay’s alignment with the Dravidian ideology and the DMK is evident in his recent actions. He extended congratulations to the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and its leader Chandra Babu Naidu, along with the Jana Sena Party and its leader Pawan Kalyan, for their significant victory in Andhra Pradesh.

Despite the impending oath-taking ceremony of Naidu as Chief Minister on 12 June 2024, Vijay extended his felicitations. Additionally, he congratulated the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi party and the Naam Tamilar Party for their recognition as state parties in Tamil Nadu. Although indirectly, he also acknowledged the success of the DMK alliance in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.

Notably absent from his remarks was any mention of the BJP’s victory at the central level, where a meeting has been convened, and the NDA alliance has unanimously chosen PM Narendra Modi as the Prime Minister of India for a record third time, with the oath-taking ceremony scheduled for 9 June 2024.

Looking back at how Vijay exposed his alignment with the Dravidian ideology, it is noteworthy that on the auspicious occasion of Tamizh Puthandu (Tamil New Year) on 14 April 2024, amidst the festive spirit engulfing Tamil Nadu, Vijay stirred controversy by refraining from extending wishes to the people for the Tamil New Year. Instead, Vijay took to social media to share greetings for Ambedkar Jayanti, which coincidentally falls on the same day. This is the same strategy employed by the DMK on the auspicious occasion of Hindu celebrations and festivals such as Vinayagar Chaturthi, Saraswathi Pooja, and other festive occasions. 

As expected, aligning with the stance of Dravidian parties, Vijay (very ignorantly) expressed opposition to the notification of CAA. His press release read, “Any law like the Indian Citizenship Amendment Act 2019 (CAA) is not acceptable in an environment where all the people of the country are living in social harmony. The rulers should give an assurance that they will not implement this law in Tamil Nadu.”

 Based on these observations, it can be inferred that part-time politician and full-time actor Vijay is yet another emerging foster project by the DMK and embodies the principles of Dravidian ideology in Tamil Nadu.

Satheesh is a freelance writer.

Subscribe to our channels on Telegram, WhatsApp, and Instagram and get the best stories of the day delivered to you personally.