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TVK is BJP’s C team, says DMK minister Regupathy
Actor Vijay's party TVK faces backlash from DMK and BJP after he targets both in a major speech, aiming to attract young voters for 2026 elections.
Political parties on Monday hit back at actor Vijay’s fledgling party, Tamizhaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK), a day after he told a massive gathering of more than 2 lakh people at his maiden state conference that his two enemies are the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) government in the state and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government at the Centre.
Without taking names of the political parties, Vijay, who has a cult following in Tamil cinema, referred to the DMK as his political enemy and the BJP as his ideological enemy, promising to fight against corruption and communalism. He did not mention opposition AIADMK in his hour-long speech.
DMK leaders accused Vijay of being backed by the BJP.
Law minister S Regupathi said that Vijay copied the DMK’s policies and presented it at the conference. “This shows that the Dravidian model of governance under chief minister MK Stalin cannot be separated from the people,” he said. “Until now, we have seen outfits being another party’s A team and B team. But TVK is BJP’s C team.” Vijay will only gain traction in Tamil Nadu by opposing the governor who is disliked by the entire state, he added.
Tamil Nadu Speaker M Appavu said that Vijay could have avoided certain words against the DMK and added that the TVK’s main office bearer Bussy Anand is close to the BJP. “You all know that the BJP wanted to bring Rajinikanth (into politics before he backed out after launching his party) but it didn’t happen, so I am now hearing that they are attempting to do the same by bringing in Vijay,” said Appavu. He also added that it was the DMK who supported Vijay when he faced raids by the Income Tax department in 2015 after he had criticised the BJP’s policies, such as GST, in his movie.
BJP leaders in Tamil Nadu said that Vijay’s entry would only pose a threat to the ruling DMK. Former governor of Telangana and Puducherry and state BJP leader Tamilisai Soundararajan welcomed his speech targeting the DMK over corruption and dynastic politics. “But I want to correct his views on the BJP,” Tamilisai said, adding that the national party has not divided people.
Listing BJP’s schemes, she said, “I think after this explanation you will think of BJP as a divisive force but a developmental force…” Vijay has accused the BJP of engaging in hate politics. She disagreed with Vijay’s views on abolishing NEET, removing the post of the governor and for supporting the two-language police of English and Tamil in Tamil Nadu.
“I firmly believe that he (Vijay) poses a significant threat to the DMK,” said state BJP leader Amar Prasad Reddy.
“Vijay’s ideology aligns closely with DMK’s, making him a formidable contender against Udhayanidhi (Stalin) for the Dravidian identity.” He added that neither Udayanidhi who was recently made the deputy chief minister nor Vijay would pose a challenge to state president K Annamalai. The trio would be young leaders in the 2026 political ring.
Tamil Nadu’s main opposition supported Vijay by saying that the crowd that gathered at his conference showed the angst of people against the ruling DMK. “There is no impact of the TVK on the AIADMK because we are not the ruling government,” said AIADMK’s former minister RB Udhayakumar. “Our enemies and policies seem to be alike with TVK,” he added.
Vijay, who launched the TVK earlier this year, will debut in the 2026 assembly elections and said that he is confident of winning with a majority, but also opened the doors of his party to allies and power sharing. Vijay’s colloquial speech which was a mix of Tamil peppered with a lot of English aimed at the first-time and young voters, including women, who also form a major clutch of the 50-year-old actor’s fan base. Vijay will split votes of the Dravidian majors, DMK and AIADMK, and cause a migration, particularly among the young cadres, from all parties in Tamil Nadu, political analysts said. “
It is clear that Vijay is trying to woo the allies of the DMK,” said political analyst Maalan Narayanan. “When he says that he is open to allies and power sharing, which the ruling party’s allies have expressed, he is speaking to them. It is primarily the pro-DMK voters who are now dissatisfied with the ruling party that Vijay will eat into.”
