Vijay attacks DMK in 1ˢᵗ conference, says open to alliance
TIMES NEWS NETWORK 28.10.2024
Vikravandi : Laying down a clear political agenda for his newly launched party and identifying his main rivals, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam founder and actor Vijay indicated that DMK was TVK’s political enemy and BJP his ideological enemy. In a 50-minute speech at TVK’s maiden political conference at Vikravandi in Villupuram district on Sunday, Vijay said he was open to forming alliances for the 2026 assembly election and that he would share power with his allies.
“Though we are confident of majority on our own, we will share power with our allies,” he said. Vijay made a grand entry on Sunday evening, earlier than scheduled, as thousands of TVK cadres and fans, who poured into the massive ground cheered. He walked a long ramp built right in the centre of the ground as hysterical fans and cadres threw party shawls at him. He picked up afew and draped them around his neck. Huge cutouts of Periyar E V Ramasamy, K Kamaraj, B R Ambedkar, queen Velu Nachiyar and freedom fighter Anjalai Ammal, lined either side of the stage. Vijay, in his mostly extem pore speech, said “corrupt forces are ruling TN at present”. He said TVK’s ideological enemy was the party that drives a divisive agenda and the political enemy was the party that speaks of ‘Dravidian model govt’, but practices corruption. “We can identify divisive politics as it will expose itself. But we won’t be able to spot corruption and what form it is. It will come with an ideological mask. These corrupt forces are ruling us now,’’ he said.
Adopts Periyar as ideological mentor, but drops atheist view
You always keep screaming fascism, fascism and continue scaremongering among minorities. If they are practising fascism, are you any different,” he asked in an apparent reference to DMK’s criticism that BJP was a fascist force. He said none can paint TVK with a certain colour or call them ‘B’ team of another party. “Because everyone knows who we are against when we declared our fundamental principle as ‘Pirapok kum ella uyirkum’ (all are equal by birth),” he said. To set a clear agenda, the conference highlighted the key points, including that TVK was going to function with ‘secular social justice ideology’. TVK’s action plan included women empowerment, state autonomy, twolanguage policy, environment conservation, protection of women, children and elderly, besides education, health and drinking water for all. Vijay said proportional representation in education and employment should be implemented. For that, a caste census should be conducted to ensure that everyone gets an equal share proportionate to their population.
TVK would also advocate abolition of the governor’s post. Vijay said TVK had adopted Ambedkar, Periyar, Kamaraj, Velu Nachiyar and Anajalai Ammal as ideological mentors. The party would, however, drop Periyar’s atheist ideology and follow the rest of his principles such as women empowerment and rational thinking. “We will not adopt the atheistic ideology. We don’t concur with it,’’ he said. Vijay said he entered politics because he would be selfish if he chose only to act and earn money. Now that he has taken the leap, Vijay said there was no rethinking. He said his party would not be an alternate force. Rather it would be the primary force that would bring about a change. Vijay said rather than hate politics, he called upon cadres to practice “decency and decorum” in political discourse. “Some may say that Vijay never criticises anyone directly. We are not here to attack or disrespect anyone. We will adopt a decent approach, but it will be deep,’’ he said.
At the beginning of the conference, he hoisted the party flag on a 101-foot-tall flag post. Just before he began his address, Vijay got blessings from his parents S A Chandrasekhar and Shoba Chandrasekhar, who attended the event. TVK general secretary NAnand, treasurer P Venkatraman, headquarters secretary R Rajasekar, and propaganda wing deputy secretary Thahira Banu sat on the dais
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