News Tamil Nadu

Vijay Follows The DMK Way In Not Wishing Hindus For Vinayagar Chaturthi

September 7, 2024
The Commune

Kollywood actor-turned-politician Vijay, chief of the Tamizhaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), has once again demonstrated that his ideology and party is no different to the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK). This was evident in his earlier political statements, where he aligned with the DMK’s positions on issues like NEET and CAA. However, Vijay has now become a virtual replica of the DMK by not acknowledging and wishing Vinayagar Chaturthi, a festival celebrated by 87.58% of the Hindu population in the state.

Kollywood actor and TVK chief  Vijay appears to be deliberately avoiding to respect the cultural values and beliefs of Hindus and Tamils. This accusation is supported by his selective social media posts on his official X account. Since the announcement of his party on 2 February 2024, Vijay has been only active on social media, often hinting at his ideology and aligning himself with the DMK. He has acknowledged and wished for Muslim festivals like Ramzan and Eid, Christian festivals like Easter, as well as neutral days such as May 1 (Labour Day), Ambedkar Jayanti, and Mother’s Day.

However, Vijay has cautiously neglected any of the Hindu festivals, including Vinayagar Chaturthi on 7 September 2024, Krishna Jayanthi on 26 August 2024, and even Tamil New Year on 14 April 2024. Instead on 14 April 2024 Tamil New Year, he deliberately chose to wish Ambedkar Jayanti.

This pattern suggests that Vijay, simping DMK sees himself as a proxy of the DMK, which follows a similar approach in Tamil Nadu. Critics argue that if Vijay’s new party is merely an extension of DMK policies, he might as well join the DMK directly and aim for a Rajya Sabha seat, as his predecessor part-time politician and full-time actor Kamal Haasan already laid the path.

If Vijay has an issue exclusively with Hindus and Tamil festivals like Vinayagar Chaturthi, it suggests he is viewing matters through a DMK lens. This approach to appeasement politics has already begun to trouble the DMK, and it is likely to cause similar problems for Vijay and his new party, which also seems to focus on minority appeasement.

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 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.

 

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