Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK) general secretary TTV Dhinakaran has accused Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay and his government of using paid influencers and social media reels to project an exaggerated image of Vijay and his administration.
Dhinakaran alleged that the Tamil Nadu government was attempting to mislead people by presenting Vijay as a national political leader despite his limited political and cinematic reach outside Tamil Nadu.
“Just as they came to power by deceiving people by saying that they were honest and that Tamil Nadu would become a paradise, you can see that they are now trying to deceive the people of India,” Dhinakaran said.
He alleged that claims about the Tamil Nadu government providing ₹25 crore in assistance to Nepal following a natural disaster were part of the same social media-driven propaganda.
“They say that ₹25 crore was given as financial assistance for the severe natural disaster that occurred in Nepal. You will see such lies being spread through reels. These are paid influencers. They can only run this campaign by using paid influencers,” he said.
Dhinakaran also questioned the attempt to portray Vijay as a national figure.
“They do not even know how to call him ‘Thalapathy Vijay’. Vijay is a Tamil Nadu actor. Some of his films may have been dubbed into Hindi. They are behaving as though they have just climbed onto the roof, while they have not even caught the chicken yet. They are struggling to catch the chicken itself and are slipping,” he said.
He accused the Vijay government of failing to deliver on its electoral promises while using social media campaigns to create a different public image.
“They are deceiving the people without fulfilling the promises they made,” Dhinakaran said.
Dhinakaran also questioned claims surrounding investments coming into Tamil Nadu, alleging that the government was restricting media access to events so that details about the investments would not be independently scrutinised.
“They say that foreign investment has come in today. They did not even allow your media outlet into the event. What is the reason? What actually came in and how much came in should be known to the public. Instead, all that people see are the reels they put out,” he said.
He alleged that the government was similarly using social media content to create an impression that it had provided ₹25 crore to Nepal following the natural disaster.
“You will see such lies being spread through reels, saying that ₹25 crore was given for the natural disaster in Nepal. You will see all these reels and how these lies are being spread,” he said.
Calling on the media to scrutinise such campaigns, Dhinakaran said journalists had a responsibility to expose misleading social media content and help voters distinguish between a film star’s on-screen image and the realities of governance.
“Media organisations should help the people understand that what a cinema hero does in films, where he beats 100 people and fulfils everything he says, cannot be done in real life,” Dhinakaran said.
He urged the media to explain to voters how such “false reels” are created and circulated, particularly among those who may have voted for Vijay because of his popularity as a film actor.
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