TVK chief Vijay resumes poll campaign, targets ruling DMK for ‘loot, dynasty politics’

Tamilaga Vettri Kazhgam (TVK) chief Vijay on Sunday resumed his campaign for the 2026 Assembly election after a break of nearly two months. Without directly naming the ruling DMK, he accused it of a ‘loot’ of Rs 4,730 crore via illegal sand mining.

He also indirectly levelled the allegation of dynasty politics against it and claimed that the ruling party had forgotten its founder CN Annadurai’s diktat of ‘go to the people.’

Addressing party workers, fans and the public at an auditorium in Kancheepuram district, Vijay, avoiding a direct reference, alleged that DMK’s ideology was only to loot. “They just talk about ideology, mortgaging all their principles, acting as if they alone have leased all principles. Isn’t their ideology just to loot? Do you think people don’t know all this?”

Asserting that Palar River is the lifeline of Kancheepuram region, he said such a life giving river has been degraded and ruined by those merely using the names of social reformer “Periyar” EV Ramasamy and Anna. He said these were not casual remarks and alleged a loot of a “small amount of Rs 4,730 crore” by way of illegal sand mining as about 22.70 lakh units of sand was mined by exceeding the permitted level.

“They cannot ask for evidence as it is in court and with the Enforcement Directorate...if sand is looted, water bodies will be destroyed, agriculture will be destroyed and if agriculture is destroyed, farmers will be destroyed. In total, all of us will have to be completely destroyed. Have you ever heard of a party forming a syndicate to loot, from top to bottom?

The fledgling TVK’s chief indirectly levelled the allegation of dynasty politics against the DMK by recalling late party patriarch M Karunanidhi’s assertion — made in the distant past — that his party was not Kancheepuram “Sankara Math”.

The late DMK patriarch had made that remark, in a particular context, to reiterate that the party decided its chief and someone was not appointed to the top post just like that as it happened in a monastery.

Using rhyming words from Tamil, Vijay ridiculed the DMK in the context of its 75 years of its founding and accused it of pretension. While the TVK was “yet to start hitting out at the DMK” the ruling party was rattled. The DMK, founded in 1949 marked its 75th anniversary last year.

The TVK leader said while AIADMK founder MG Ramachandran placed iconic leader Annadurai’s image on his party flag, he wondered if there is a need to explain what happened to the party (DMK) founded by Anna after his demise.

“But do I need to tell you what the people who later seized the party started by Arignar Anna are doing? You know it well,” he said. DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi, became chief minister and party chief following Anna’s death in 1969.

The TVK founder asserted that personally, he and his party had no problem with the DMK though the ruling party may have malice towards them, “but we are not like that at all.”

Vijay alleged that the DMK deceived the people by lying and by making people trust them, it got their votes. “They came to power by deception and are now acting as if they are doing good, aren’t they? he said and accused the DMK of enacting a drama. He asked: “How can we not question them. We are not going to stop questioning them.”

He had a connect to Kancheepuram district, the home turf of iconic Dravidian leader Annadurai. It was here he launched his first outreach initiative in January 2025, following the launch of his party the TVK. At the maiden outreach event, he voiced support to the villagers who opposed the Parandur airport project.

People gave him everything and he is committed to serve them by embracing Anna’s “Makkalidam Sel” diktat (Go to the people). “But who forgot Anna who said Makkalidam Sel,” he asked apparently hitting out at the DMK.

Vijay slammed the DMK for questioning his party, the TVK, over its ideology and asserted that his party was founded on solid ideological standpoints, and it begins with the principle of equality and had, among other things, demanded a caste census.

The ruling DMK, led by Chief Minister and party president MK Stalin, which threw its ideology to the wind was questioning the TVK for not having any ideology. Equality and social justice were among the core of the ideology of the TVK, Vijay asserted and wondered how the chief minister could hurl such an accusation when his party had demanded caste census and opposed the CAA.

Also, the party opposed Wafq law amendment and went to the Supreme Court. Unlike the DMK, which made empty claims on ending NEET, the TVK batted for moving education from concurrent to state list of the Constitution. “Don’t we have an ideology when we spoke strongly about equality and equal opportunity?”

In filmi style, he reiterated that the contest is going to be between the DMK and his party and said as soon as permission is granted to conduct rallies, it would be done.

Following the September 27 stampede at Karur, this is the first time Vijay addressed his party workers, fans and the people as well, marking the resumption of his campaign ahead of the state election next year.