At Madurai rally, actor-politician rules out alliances with DMK, BJP; vows people-centric agenda for 2026 polls
Madurai: Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) president and actor Vijay on Thursday hinted that his party would contest the 2026 Assembly elections independently, making it clear that he would not enter into political alliances.
“Even if there are wolves and foxes, it is the lion, even single, is the king of the jungle,” Vijay said addressing a crowd of approximately four lakh made up of the party cadre at the TVK’s second state conference in Madurai. Declaring that his only partnership was with the people, he added, “I enjoy people, I respect people and I worship people.”
Outlining his party’s priorities, Vijay said his party would focus on women, children, transgenders, fishermen, farmers and other marginalised communities. “The government we form in 2026 will place special emphasis on those sections of society that require special attention,” he said.
Rejecting allegations against him of having a covert tie-up with the BJP, Vijay retorted, “Are we a corrupt party to secretly align with the fascist BJP?" He also added, "The only ones in an undercover alliance are the fascist BJP and the poisonous DMK.” He reiterated his firm stand that the BJP was the TVK’s ideological foe and the DMK its political rival.
Targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP, Vijay accused them of pursuing divisive politics against minorities, particularly Muslims. He demanded the scrapping of National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET), the retrieval of Katchatheevu to protect Tamil fishermen, and criticised the Union government for suppressing findings from the Keeladi excavations. “It is an attempt to black out the truths about the ancient Tamil civilisation,” he alleged.
“Religious polarisation will never succeed in Tamil Nadu. Just as water does not stick to the lotus leaf, Tamil people will never stick to BJP’s ideology,” he noted.
Turning to the ruling DMK, Vijay accused it of betraying fishermen, farmers and government employees by failing to fulfill electoral promises. He predicted that its “deceptive regime” would be ousted in 2026. He also criticised the AIADMK for “betraying Anna and MGR’s legacy” by aligning with the BJP, describing the alliance as unnatural and unacceptable to the people of Tamil Nadu.
Responding to scepticism about the prospects of a fledgling party, Vijay said he had entered politics only after winning the people’s confidence, not after fading in cinema. He appealed to voters to back the TVK across all 234 constituencies, remarking, “consider me as the candidate everywhere.”
Defending himself against the “film star” label, Vijay observed: “It was not film stars who defeated leaders like Ambedkar, Kamaraj and Nallakannu but politicians," argued Mr Vijay, who also noted, “Not all actors are fools, and not all politicians are wise.”
