Actor Vijay Slams BJP For "Drama" On Cholas, Party Responds

Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief and actor-politician Vijay has launched a scathing attack on the BJP and the ruling DMK, calling their recent posturing over Tamil pride and the Chola legacy a "coordinated drama" aimed at political gain ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections.

Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent visit to Ariyalur to commemorate the 1,000th anniversary of Rajendra Chola I's maritime expedition to Southeast Asia, Vijay accused the BJP of "lecturing Tamil Nadu on its own history" while simultaneously "discriminating" against the state.

"Had the DMK government given the Chola emperors the full honour they deserve, the anti-Tamil Union government wouldn't have stepped in to take credit. Instead, the DMK has welcomed PM Modi's visit as a matter of honour - this is not pride, it is surrender," said Vijay in a strongly-worded statement.

The actor-politician alleged that the DMK had "mortgaged Tamil pride" to the BJP, describing it as "taking refuge under the very force it claims to oppose." He also pointed to the centre refusing to accept  Keezhadi excavation findings, which the state believes establishes the antiquity of Tamil and Iron Age in this region much earlier than present estimates.

"After attempting to hide strong evidence of Tamil civilisation and history at Keezhadi, the Centre's sudden talk of Chola pride is pure drama. And the DMK, founded by Annadurai, has compromised itself and surrendered to the anti-Tamil BJP," he charged.

Vijay also reminded that it was his party that had last year demanded the setting up of a grand museum in Chennai celebrating the Chera, Chola and Pandya dynasties. He warned that the people of Tamil Nadu would "see through the political theatrics" and deliver a "fitting response in 2026."

BJP's Karu Nagarajan responded sharply, accusing Vijay of peddling falsehoods and misrepresenting facts for political mileage.

"Has any other Prime Minister embraced and showcased Tamil culture to the world like Narendra Modi? PM Modi has acted as an ambassador of Tamil pride," he said.

He also dismissed Vijay's charges on Keezhadi, saying the central government had been fully supportive of archaeological excavations and discoveries in Tamil Nadu from the beginning.

"It is unclear what Vijay is trying to achieve by linking the BJP and DMK. People are not fools," the BJP leader said.

Though officially positioned as a cultural and historical event, Prime Minister Modi's visit to Ariyalur is being widely seen as part of the BJP's broader outreach to Tamil Nadu - a state where the party currently has little presence.

With the 2026 Assembly elections on the horizon, both the BJP and emerging parties like Vijay's TVK are recalibrating their strategies.

While Dravidian parties tread carefully, celebrating the Chola dynasty in a limited way, mindful of what they call "the severe caste discrimination and dominance of Aryan traditions" during the reign, the BJP is trying to capitalise on this.