In his maiden public rally at Puducherry on Tuesday, actor and Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) leader Vijay took potshots at the DMK, asking the people not to believe the party, which is known for “not fulfilling” the promises made during the elections. Vijay’s attack was deliberately directed at the DMK, although the Dravidian party doesn’t have a role in the Puducherry administration.
Though Vijay chose to attack the BJP, which is in coalition with the NR Congress government in Puducherry, he thanked Chief Minister Rangasamy for providing security to his rally. Vijay effusively praised Rangasamy and his government, even as he took a dig at the ruling BJP in the Centre for not releasing funds to the Union territory.
In his 7.5-minute-long speech, he lavishly praised Rangasamy, attacked the BJP mildly and heavily criticised the DMK. Unlike Karur, Vijay reached the rally venue on time, and it was ensured that only 5,000 people entered the ground after scanning the QR code, as the public meeting was tightly regulated. Thanks to the lessons learnt after the Karur stampede, which killed 41 people.
Vijay didn’t criticise Rangasamy or his NR Congress. In fact, at the very beginning of his speech, he asked the DMK government in Tamil Nadu to learn from Rangasamy about administration and how to provide security for a public rally organised by a political party. Visuals of Rangasamy watching Vijay’s rally on his mobile phone also went viral.
Vijay, who has had a long rapport with Rangasamy, seems to believe that the NR Congress and his TVK could come together and fight the upcoming 2026 election. NR Congress, which is in coalition with the BJP in Puducherry, has had several ups and downs and run-ins with the BJP in these five years. Chandrika Priyanga’s resignation from the cabinet, John Kumar’s induction into the cabinet, and Kumar continuing as a minister without a portfolio for over months make the cracks in the alliance apparent. Vijay, in fact, touched upon these aspects, particularly John Kumar continuing in the cabinet without a portfolio.
Through his speech, Vijay seems to have indicated TVK’s intention to forge an alliance with NR Congress in the run-up to the 2026 assembly election. The actor-politician appears to believe that his popularity, combined with Rangasamy’s simplicity, could help his party woo voters in Puducherry. Vijay recalled how AIADMK first captured power in Puducherry in 1974 before MGR took charge as chief minister in 1977 in Tamil Nadu. He indicated that winning Puducherry is the way to enter Tamil Nadu.
Winning Puducherry is easy compared to contesting in a tough terrain like Tamil Nadu. With just 30 assembly constituencies, the voting pattern in Puducherry is completely different from Tamil Nadu. By aligning with a party native to Puducherry, like Rangasamy’s NR Congress, Vijay believes that his party can win at least get a few MLAs. In fact, during his speech, Vijay recalled the demand for statehood for Puducherry and that the resolution demeaning statehood was passed 16 times in the assembly.
