- Vijays Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam bans dangerous acts and public receptions during rallies
- The party advises vulnerable groups to avoid rallies and follow events online
- Rules came after the Madras High Court questioned who would responsibility for damage at Vijay's Tiruchi rally
Actor Vijay's Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) has reiterated strict safety and conduct guidelines for its cadres ahead of his statewide campaign, in the backdrop of the Madras High Court's observations on damage to public property during his last week's Trichy rally.
The party's advisory bans cadres and supporters from organising public receptions for Vijay, from following his vehicle or convoy, and strictly prohibits dangerous acts such as climbing lamp posts, EB posts or transformers, rooftops, vehicles, trees or flex boards along highways. Bursting crackers has also been disallowed.
The TVK has yet again advised pregnant women, children, senior citizens, the differently abled and the sick to avoid attending rallies in person and instead follow events online. The party further warned cadres against damaging public or private property or making statements that could hurt public sentiments.
The Madras High Court, while hearing TVK's plea against "tough and unfulfillable conditions" imposed by police for its rallies, questioned whether such restrictions were being applied to all parties. Justice N Sathish Kumar referred to the chaos at Vijay's Tiruchi rally on September 13, remarking: "If something untoward had happened, who would take responsibility? As party president, Vijay ought to control the crowds."
The court also asked whether compensation had been collected for damages and directed the Tamil Nadu government to frame uniform guidelines applicable to all political parties, including provisions for deposits to cover possible losses. The state government has been asked to file its report by September 24.
Vijay launched his statewide tour in Tiruchi last Saturday and covered Ariyalur on the same day.
Trichy came to a grinding halt as thousands of cadres joined his convoy from the airport to the designated Marakadai area - a stretch that would normally take 20 minutes but stretched to nearly six hours.
Last week, he had to cancel his Perambalur programme, and this time he has cancelled his Mayiladuthurai stop. He will campaign in Nagapattinam and Tiruvarur tomorrow. His campaign book is filled in till December -- largely on Saturdays except for one Sunday.
Making his electoral foray at the peak of his acting career, Vijay hopes for a repeat of the 1967 and 1977 Tamil Nadu election results that catapulted Annadurai and MGR to power, unseating the Congress and DMK governments respectively.
The ruling DMK and the key opposition AIADMK though, claim they are unperturbed, saying the crowds he draws may not all translate into votes.
