Actor-politician Vijay had launched a sharp attack on All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), dubbing them as “corrupt slave forces” and accusing them of having “cheated the people repeatedly”, while declaring that his party, the Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK), would contest the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections “confidently” with or without allies.
Addressing a meeting of TVK office-bearers at a resort in Mamallapuram, Vijay, who spoke at a political gathering after a gap of 38 days, said he would never “buckle” under political pressure. The speech, which lasted 17 minutes, marked Vijay’s strongest criticism of the AIADMK so far, with the actor referring to the party as a “corrupt-slave force” alongside the DMK.
Political observers interpreted Vijay’s remarks as a clear signal that the TVK was shutting the door on any possible alliance with the Edappadi K Palaniswami-led AIADMK, which currently heads the NDA in Tamil Nadu.
During his address, Vijay assured the public that he would not indulge in corruption, unlike the two major Dravidian parties that have ruled the state alternately. “I won’t indulge in corruption like those who ruled before (AIADMK) or those ruling now (DMK). I won’t touch even a paisa. I don’t need it at all. I won’t let corruption take place in my regime. You might ask, is this a movie where Vijay can come and clean the system in a day? It might not be possible practically, but it is a process, right?” he said.
In his speeches, Vijay has accused both the DMK and the AIADMK of having “cheated the people repeatedly”, alleging that the two parties protect each other because they are “all corrupt and in the same boat”. He projected the TVK as a “clean and pure” political alternative, arguing that corruption in politics functions like a virus that hides behind ideology and culture. He described such leaders as “corrupt hypocrites” who are currently ruling Tamil Nadu.
Is Vijay Really Clean?
Vijay’s assertions of clean politics come amid a history of Income Tax actions and tax-related cases involving him, which have repeatedly surfaced in public discourse.
Puli – Undisclosed Income
In September 2015, ahead of the release of his big-budget film Puli, Income Tax officials conducted searches at Vijay’s residence in Neelankarai and at several other film industry-related premises. Officials claimed they found evidence that Vijay had failed to disclose around ₹15 crore of income linked to Puli, which was subsequently treated as undisclosed income during assessment proceedings. As part of the broader raids conducted during that operation on actors and producers, cash and gold worth approximately ₹2 crore each were reportedly seized.
Based on the findings from these proceedings, the Income Tax Department later imposed a penalty of ₹1.5 crore under Section 271AAB(1) of the Income Tax Act, which deals with penalties on undisclosed income. Vijay challenged this penalty before the Madras High Court, and orders in the related writ petition were reserved in January 2026.
Bigil – Undisclosed Income
In February 2020, Income Tax officials carried out a round of large-scale searches at about 38 premises linked to AGS Entertainment, the production house behind Vijay’s film Bigil, financier GN Anbu Chezhiyan, and Vijay himself. During the operation, Vijay was questioned regarding his remuneration for Bigil and his property investments, with officials examining whether part of his payment had been routed through unaccounted channels via the financier.
From the premises linked to Anbu Chezhiyan, the IT Department seized approximately ₹65-77 crore in unaccounted cash along with gold. Officials stated that the group admitted to tax evasion or concealment of around ₹165 crore, with overall concealment potentially exceeding ₹300 crore for the financier-producer group. Media reports and departmental sources at the time described Vijay as being under investigation or enquiry in connection with the group’s alleged tax evasion, rather than as the primary holder of the seized unaccounted cash.
However, there is no public record of a final prosecution or conviction specifically branding Vijay as a tax evader, with the matter largely remaining at the stage of searches, questioning, and departmental proceedings linked mainly to the financier and producers.
Rolls-Royce Tax Evasion
Another case that has frequently been cited in debates surrounding Vijay relates to the import of his Rolls-Royce Ghost from the United Kingdom in 2012. The issue concerned a delay in the payment of entry tax or road tax to the Tamil Nadu government for the luxury vehicle. In 2021, while granting relief to Vijay on certain aspects of the matter, the Madras High Court made strong observations, stating that “tax evasion is anti-national”, using the case to criticise celebrities who seek to avoid or delay the payment of tax dues on luxury imports. The case pertained to state entry or road tax and not central income tax.
Following the raids and assessment proceedings between 2015 and 2017, the Income Tax Department passed orders treating parts of Vijay’s income as undisclosed. The ₹1.5 crore penalty imposed on the alleged ₹15 crore of undisclosed income remains under challenge, with Vijay contesting it primarily on limitation and technical grounds.
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In response to the earlier Income Tax actions, Vijay had publicly denied allegations of tax evasion, stating that he had complied with the law and that the accusations were exaggerated. Income Tax officials, however, told the media at the time that the actor had evaded tax and that the dues would be collected.
It is noteworthy that a former IRS (Income Tax) officer, KG Arunraj, joined Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam as its propaganda and policy chief in mid‑2025. DMK alleged that it was the same Arunraj who led or took part in the 2020 raids on Vijay.
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