The weeklong-old fledgling actor turned politician Joseph Vijaya’s Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK) seems to be a new party under the orbit of Dravidian ideology, to capture the attention and deflect scrutiny of its ideological sibling DMK. Yet, the intent is not to concede ground to the BJP but to keep voters within their ambit, channeling them toward a new face and package when the former is losing its charm.
At its inaugural district functionaries’ and executive council meeting on November 3rd in Panaiyur, Chennai, the TVK party adopted 26 resolutions opposing various central government policies. These include the “One Nation, One Election” proposal, the Waqf Board Bill, the NEET examination, and the three-language formula.
One resolution stated: “Neither the Union government nor any of its nominated representatives (referred to as Ondriya Arasu by the DMK and its allies) has any right to interfere in matters related to Tamil. First, they painted Thiruvalluvar in saffron, then claimed that ‘Tamilagam’ and ‘Tamil Nadu’ are distinct, and even stirred controversy over the Tamil Thai Vazhthu. Attempts to impose Hindi will not succeed in Tamil Nadu.”
Another resolution expressed strong opposition to political interference, regardless of who instigates it, including the ruling DMK government. It condemned efforts to restrict the press and the smear campaigns unleashed against opposition leaders on social media.
A further resolution criticised the DMK government for delaying the caste-based census: “The ruling DMK’s attempts to evade the caste-wise census by blaming the Union government are unacceptable. It must take immediate measures to conduct a caste-based census without delay, to demonstrate genuine social justice.”
The TVK also called for the scrapping of the Parandur Greenfield Airport project, under the banner of “protecting agricultural land and the farming sector,” while also demanding a halt to Neyveli Lignite Corporation’s expansion.
The new party criticised the DMK government’s liquor policy, calling for a time-bound closure of state-run TASMAC outlets. It stated, “Daylight crimes reflect the deterioration of law and order. TVK condemns the DMK government for prioritising the welfare of a few in power instead of addressing the rise in drug addiction among youth and the sale of illicit liquor.”
— TVK Vijay (@TVKVijayHQ) October 4, 2024
Most of the adopted resolutions align with the DMK’s stance, though TVK presents a slightly different approach.
Critics ask whether the TVK, which wants Tamil to be the language of worship, will dare to ask Muslims to do namaz in Tamil. Vijay opposes the three-language formula, yet his own school follows the same. Charity should start at home. This is similar to the DMK heavyweights who oppose Hindi while the schools run by them follow the three-language formula without any issue.
This tactic resembles the way Christian denominations emerge when one sect starts losing its influence: new sects spring up from Church to reclaim the followers while sustaining the same central dogma.
Meanwhile, there is a war of words between Naam Tamilar Katch of Seeman and Vijay’s TVK, with both leaders openly criticising each other in public.
Talking to reporters in Chennai, Seeman, who sees the TVK as its ideological enemy, questioned Vijay, saying, “How can Dravidian and Tamil nationalism be like two eyes? This is not ideology but a rotten egg. You should stand on either side of the road; if you stand in the middle, you will be hit by a lorry. You should take a clear stance, either standing with freedom fighters like Subhas Chandra Bose and Bhagat Singh or with colonial figures like Lord Mountbatten. ‘What, bro? It’s wrong, bro.’”
Seeman, who referred to Vijay as his brother until last month and wanted to ally with him, has now taken a different U-turn, calling him a “Koomuttai” (a cuss word for idiot). Seeman said, “I don’t just sit in air-conditioned rooms contemplating politics. When there’s fire in the heart, words become sparks. Our words reflect the suffering our people have endured for generations.”
"இது கொள்கை இல்ல கூமுட்டை; சாலையில் ஒன்று அந்த பக்கம் நில்லு, இல்ல இந்த பக்கம் நில்லு, நடுவில் நின்றால் லாரியில் அடிப்பட்டு செத்து விடுவாய்" – சீமான்#Seeman | #NTK | #Vijay | #TVK | #TVKvijay pic.twitter.com/NpfOuwhTa1
— PttvOnlinenews (@PttvNewsX) November 1, 2024
Some admired Vijay’s inaugural speech on the 27th, the day of the launch of TVK, while others criticised him for being vague on many serious issues. Vijay unveiled the broad contours of his party’s policies and action plans in the already cluttered political landscape of Tamil Nadu; one can see Vijay taking a general line of thinking similar to that seen in his films. Critics say his speech “was rehearsed, delivered in a cinematic style loaded with punch dialogues. His party’s secular social justice principles are ambiguous.”
Vlogger Maridas claimed, “His wife and son are in foreign nations. The black money would be turned white through TVK. Some Christian missions are behind his party.”
Political analysts say, “The Christian lobby wants a Chief Minister from their community. Their earlier attempts with leaders and film personalities failed. Now they have strong confidence in Vijay, who is from their community and has a huge fan following as well as wealth. He has strong support from Loyola College.”
Through the false propaganda of being anti-minority, the DMK has historically deceived the Muslim and Christian minority populations in Tamil Nadu to secure their votes and maintain power. This manipulative tactic has been a cornerstone of their political strategy for years.
Some allege, “Vijay intentionally evaded disclosing an additional income of ₹15 crore during the financial year 2015-16, which he agreed to in court. He faced IT raids for tax evasion. Until the release of his movie Mersal in 2017, he made statements under the heading ‘Jesus Saves,’ raising doubts about his newfound spirited slogan for secularism and GST, which many consider sheer hypocrisy. He also challenged the levy of duty on an imported BMW X5 from the United States in court.
ANS Prasad, BJP Tamil Nadu spokesperson, speaking with Organiser, said, “As cracks appear to be wide open and people start questioning its long-standing myths of Dravidian idealogy, they have found actor Joseph Vijay’s Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK) to mask the same old agenda, apart from the DMK, in order to capture attention and deflect scrutiny.
With the DMK’s minority vote bank beginning to dwindle, certain separatist political forces have joined hands to encourage actor Vijay’s entry into politics. They aim to target the Christian vote bank and form a coalition government through a corporate political formula. This opportunistic political alliance, solely focused on vote bank politics, is destined to fail.
The same Vijay now gives sermons. It remains to be seen whether he will convert his frenzied fan base into votes or whether he will end up as just another political party that loses its sheen in due course.
