The assassination of K. Armstrong, the state president of the Bahujan Samaj Party, on 5 July 2024, sent shockwaves throughout Tamil Nadu, particularly within the Scheduled Caste community. This incident led to severe criticism directed at the ruling DMK government in Tamil Nadu and the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) party for their failure to condemn the DMK, given their alliance.
In this context, Kollywood film director Pa. Ranjith, who had previously supported Dravidian ideology, withdrew his support and criticized the DMK government. Meanwhile, VCK leader Thirumavalavan claimed that their response to Armstrong’s assassination should be unique to their party and that there was no need for collaboration with others. He also noted that the VCK had not sought the support of any movements opposing the DMK.
On 20 July 2024, Thirumavalavan addressed his Facebook followers live, accusing politically naive individuals who are paid to speak on social media of exploiting Armstrong’s murder to spread false accusations against the VCK rather than targeting the DMK. He advised his party members to avoid participating in events where such forces might contribute to the ongoing defamation of the VCK.
This sparked immediate backlash, with many believing Thirumavalavan was referring to the ‘March for Justice‘, rally organized by Pa. Ranjith’s Neelam Cultural Centre, scheduled for 21 July 2024. The heated exchange between Thirumavalavan and Pa. Ranjith escalated into a war of words, with Pa. Ranjith responding to the criticisms on July 21, and tensions have remained high ever since.
In this context, Vanni Arasu, Deputy General Secretary of the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), recently criticized Kollywood film director Pa. Ranjith in an interview, making several allegations against him and labeling the rally he organized a failure.
Arasu stated that Ranjith’s intention to hold the rally might have been genuine, but the objective was flawed. He accused Ranjith of aiming to prevent the VCK chief from participating and claimed that Ranjith exploited Armstrong’s assassination for personal gain. Arasu further criticized Ranjith for focusing solely on the DMK despite the involvement of BJP, AIADMK, and TMC cadres, who were officially dismissed from their parties. Arasu questioned what role the DMK had played in the situation.
He also pointed out that Ranjith did not reach out to anyone for support, yet still criticized those who did not attend, implying that Ranjith’s objective was misguided. He then questioned Ranjith’s trustworthiness, citing an instance of Ranjith’s forgetfulness regarding past help. Vanni Arasu recounted that after completing the film ‘Attakathi’, Ranjith’s next project, ‘Madras’, under Green Studios, faced a setback when another production claimed ownership of the story. Ranjith sought assistance to resolve the issue, and Arasu helped him out. Despite this, Arasu noted that Ranjith has never expressed any gratitude for the support provided.
Vanni Arasu explained, “After finishing Attakathi, he was working on the film Madras, the film was produced by Green Studios Gnanavel Raja. The film was gearing up for release, but immediately a lawsuit was filed. They went to court stating that the story belonged to Gopi Nainar and Karuppar Nagaram was the title, and thus should be stayed,” He continued, “I’m sharing this for the first time, I didn’t say this anywhere, my friend Madipakkam Vetriselvan, who was also murdered, called him (Ranjith) to meet me at Le Meridien hotel, we sat and discussed that the situation was like this. The Karuppar Nagaram’s producer Balu was Tirunelveli Valiyoor, Veerakumar’s own brother, who (Veerakumar) is my best friend, he (Balu) was the one who produced the film, and he said that the movie was half completed and the story was his, hence they initiated a case. He (Vetriselvan) came to me and said that he (Ranjith) has completed the film so ask them (Balu) to withdraw the case and everyone says the career of him (Ranjith) is based on the film.”
I then reached out to the film’s producer, suggesting they resolve the issue by withdrawing the lawsuit. The producer mentioned that they would consider dropping the case if Ranjith could cover the expenses already incurred. However, when I relayed this to Ranjith/Veera Kumar, he responded that Gnanavel Raja would say that ‘Are you planning to extract money from me by initiating a a lawsuit through your community.‘ Hence, I decided to let it go to avoid this type of further complications.
So many things are coming out now…. pic.twitter.com/JmZAKYqpB2
— Vishwatma 🇮🇳 ( மோடியின் குடும்பம் ) (@HLKodo) July 25, 2024
“As a result, I faced severe criticism from the South, even though Ranjith’s career depended on the help I provided. Despite my support, Ranjith never contacted me or acknowledged my role when the movie was released. He didn’t even maintain the relationship afterward. While we have continued to stay in touch with many others whom we’ve helped, Ranjith only reached out when he needed something and then disconnected us once we were no longer in need. This is why I consider him untrustworthy.“, he said.
Then, Vanni Arasu deriding Pa. Ranjith, declared that Ranjith’s rally was a failure. He questioned, “Did Armstrong’s family attend? Did his wife come? Even the BSP did not participate significantly; even they did not like it and did not trust you.” Arasu continued, “The rally should have been a success, but it is a failure. the rally was held with an intention that no one should make that rally very successful, does a rally with a mere 1000-1500 people become a successful rally?”
Vanni Arasu ultimately criticized Pa. Ranjith, accusing him of falsely claiming that they had mobilized Chennai, while in reality, no other protests occurred across Tamil Nadu except those organized by the VCK. Arasu alleged that Ranjith used the rally merely to attack the DMK, positioning himself as a mouthpiece for anti-DMK interests.
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