On 28 June 2024, Actor turned politician Vijay convened his first public speech after the announcement of his party the Tamizhaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK). Even though it was not a political stage but a special meet and greet to honour students who topped in the recently held 10th and 12th-grade examinations, this event was very much anticipated by the fans and the party cadres and the event was held at the Ramachandra Convention Center in Thiruvanmiyur, Chennai.
Beginning his address at the event, Vijay extended congratulations to the students and offered advice to carefully consider the career paths they are preparing to embark upon. Vijay said, “Some of you have clear picture in your mind that what are we going to become a doctor, a engineer, a pilot and some might be a bit sag or confusion in making decisions about your career. To all of them, I would like to say that all vocations are good; all that matters to be successful is choosing a field of work and giving your 100% to it, whoever be the victory is yours. So, choose on your interest; understand the options available, talk to your parents, teachers and career counsellors to help you make the decision.”
Then actor Vijay encouraged students to aspire to leadership roles in their chosen fields, emphasizing that there are numerous career paths beyond just medicine or engineering. Vijay urged, “Many consider only medicine or engineering as viable professional fields; in Tamil Nadu, we already have world-class doctors, engineers and lawyers in abundance. What we are currently lacking is and what we need more is good leaders. By that when I say leader, I didn’t just mean by political leaders, if you are getting into a field and achieve better you can easily climb the ladder to become a leader,” While encouraging students to dream of their future, he also suggested that politics could be a viable career option for educated youth. “Why can’t be politics an career option in the future? It is my wish that it should come like that. Should well educated people join politics or not? I’m asking you all”
After that hitting on the propagandists, Vijay said that news medias feed opinionated news hence the students fact-checking news to understand and by that they can be involved in politics “Read newspapers regularly, and you will realize how a single news is report in a news paper and the same news another news paper report in different ways. A news will be reported on a front page in headlines and the same news will not even be reported in the last page in another newspaper. Here, you will come to know about news is different from opinion. If you see now, many social media channels have become equivalent to mainstream media, creating an opinion on good and bad, if you see them carefully they can project by creating gossip convert good as a bad and bad as a good.” Continuing Vijay urged, “See all but learn to realize which is true and false, only then you will cultivate the right worldview to choose the leaders.”
In his final remarks on friendship, Vijay emphasized that students should avoid negative influences from friends. He strongly advised youngsters against drug use, vices, and unethical behavior. This message was particularly poignant following the continuous drug busts and linkages to Tamil Nadu and the latest Kallakuruchi hooch tragedy just a week prior. Vijay concluded his speech by emphatically stating, “Say no to temporary pleasures and say no to drugs.”
Key Insights From Vijay As TVK Chief
As previously noted, Vijay’s appearance at this event following the launch of his party in February 2024 was eagerly anticipated, especially regarding his remarks on politics. While he didn’t delve extensively into politics, Vijay’s speech was laden with politics particularly targeting the DMK. Actor Vijay skillfully maneuvered through the speech, effectively hitting at the DMK by highlighting issues of mismanagement, deteriorating law and order, corruption and dynastic politics in Tamil Nadu.
Criticizing The DMK
- In contrast to the DMK’s approach of stoking students’ emotions with promises like NEET bans and shortcuts, Vijay opted to advise students to explore diverse career options.
- Despite the DMK ruling for three years, Vijay hinted at a necessity for strong leadership, pointing out a perceived political vacuum in Tamil Nadu, expressing the state failed in severe administration failure like past ones.
- Expressing a desire for capable leadership, Vijay indirectly referenced political corruption which is again targeted at the ruling DMK, noting that three ministers face corruption charges and one former minister has been jailed for a year.
- He also criticized dynasty politics, suggesting that future politicians should be judged on their education and merit rather than familial ties, emphasizing the importance of making informed choices in elections.
- Regarding propagandist media, he brought attention to how a few media houses report the same news differently. This must definitely be read as to how Dravidianist journalists and media outlets such as Sun News, a mouthpiece for the DMK report half-truths and peddle propaganda. Following the Lok Sabha election results, Sun News targeted Vijay in a manner that undermined his political stature, reducing him to a mere figure known for posting congratulatory messages on social media rather than being recognized as a serious political leader.
- Initially reluctant to directly blame the ruling DMK, Vijay later criticized the prevalent drug culture in Tamil Nadu, referencing seizures of methamphetamine, ganja, and drug pills since the arrest of former DMK figure Jaffer Sadiq and the tragic hooch incidents in 2023 that claimed 22 lives initially and now 63.
Balancing The Political Wheel With The Saffron Party BJP & AIADMK
All the above issues resonate closely to the politics played by the Tamil Nadu BJP and the AIADMK. Led by its current president K Annamalai, the BJP meticulously addressed these concerns through initiatives like the “En Mann En Makkal” campaign, bringing awareness to citizens about the prevalent mismanagement, corruption, dynasty politics, and poor law and order in the state under the current regime.
TVK chief Vijay’s resounding declaration of “Say no to drugs” was a direct attack on the DMK which was already weaponized by both the BJP and ADMK. While ADMK had made it their campaign slogan for the 2024 elections, Annamalai on the other hand had called for “Saying no to Drugs and Dravidam”.
Another intriguing aspect was the Hindu symbol, or ‘Tilak’ between Vijay’s eyebrows, which surprisingly was not in red (Kungumam) but in saffron, a rare occurrence where a women put on his head as a symbolism on his forehead, usually requiring prior approval at VIP events. The political parlance surrounding saffron and the connotations that come with it is well known and Vijay is no child to not be aware of it. He knows how people and political analysts note intricate details – what you say, what you don’t say, how you portray yourself, the colour of your shirt, and what not. When there are so-called ‘Superstars’ who have a problem with the colour saffron, the fact that Vijay has chosen to embrace the much maligned colour is welcome.
Sathish is a political writer.
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