Actor-politician Vijay headlined a rally in Tamil Nadu's Erode district Thursday afternoon – his first in the state since 41 people died in a stampede in Karur on September 27 – and set the tone for the rest of his campaign for next year's Assembly election, calling the ruling DMK "evil" and his TVK "pure".
"I repeat... the DMK is an evil force and the TVK is a pure force. The fight is between the pure force and the evil," Vijay thundered in a brief speech that ended with appeals to the crowd to disperse safely.
Throughout his speech Vijay ripped into the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam - which he has labelled his 'political enemy' - over issues like law and order and the row over Tamil Nadu seeking exemption from the NEET exam. "DMK and problems are attached... with Fevicol," he said, "They can't be separated."
Meanwhile the rally was doubly significant because it took place near ex-AIADMK leader KA Sengottaiyan's hometown of Vijayamangalam. A senior politician, and regarded as an excellent campaign strategist, he joined Vijay's Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam last month, days after being expelled from the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam by disgruntled party boss E Palaniswami.
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Today was Vijay's second large-scale public event since the stampede; the first was in Puducherry last week, when he fired a volley of attacks at Tamil Nadu's ruling DMK.
These included a jab over Puducherry Chief Minister N Rangasamy having provided 'full security'.
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The reference was to a spat between Vijay and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam over the Karur tragedy. The former had accused the latter of failing to provide enough security, while the latter alleged the TVK failed to follow police orders and that led to the crowd rush and deaths.
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And with those deaths (and the heavy fire the DMK and Chief Minister MK Stalin drew) foremost, the police have drawn up elaborate plans to maintain law and order before, during, and after Vijay's rally, including deploying over 1,300 cops to manage a likely crowd of 35,000 people.
To manage that crowd, the ground has been divided into 72 'public boxes' that should not contain more than 500 people each. Attendees have also been warned against binging or bursting firecrackers before, during, or after the rally, and not to follow Vijay's convoy.
Pregnant women and women with infants and children, and those with physical disabilities will not be permitted to attend, officials said, while others denied permission will not be allowed to climb nearby trees or sneak onto terraces of nearby private buildings.
People will also not be allowed near transformers or power infrastructure in the area.
Political significance of Erode
Erode district and the western parts of Tamil Nadu are widely seen as Dravidian strongholds, particularly since the city itself was the birthplace of EV Ramasamy, or 'Periyar'. Vijay is trying to claim that legacy as a way to establish his socio-political credentials in the eyes of Tamil voters.
There are eight Assembly seats in Erode district, including Erode (East) and (West), and Anthiyur, all of which are held by the DMK. Of the other six, the Bharatiya Janata Party holds one – C Saraswathi was elected from Modakkurichi in the 2021 election – and the AIADMK four.
One of those four is Gobichettipalayam. This has been an AIADMK bastion since 1977; the exception was 1996 when the DMK's GP Venkidu won. But, perhaps more importantly, it is also Sengottaiyan's stronghold and winning here will be a powerful message from Vijay and the TVK.
Vijay's TVK will make its electoral debut in next year's Assembly election.
The popular actor will look to follow in the footsteps of other big-name actors who successfully transitioned into politics – including AIADMK stalwarts (and former Chief Ministers) MG Ramachandran and J Jayalalithaa. But he faces at least two big challenges.
The first is in breaking into an electoral landscape that has been dominated, for decades, by the ruling DMK and its rival, the AIADMK. The second is in overcoming the bad press that followed the Karur tragedy, after which Vijay was heavily criticised for a delayed reaction to the deaths.
The TVK has made it clear it sees the DMK – – and the BJP – its 'ideological enemy' – as its biggest rivals next year, and has categorically ruled out any pre-poll alliance.
