- Actor Devan revealed TVK offered him Kerala state president role after quitting BJP
- Devan resigned from BJP citing lack of meaningful work during his five-year tenure
- TVK approached Devan within a day of his resignation and held detailed discussions
Actor Devan, who recently quit the BJP, has revealed that actor-politician C Joseph Vijay's Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) has offered him the post of its Kerala state president, setting the stage for the Tamil Nadu-based party's possible expansion into Kerala.
Speaking exclusively to NDTV, Devan said TVK approached him within a day of his resignation from the BJP and that detailed discussions have already taken place. A final decision is expected after he meets Vijay in Chennai after September 10.
Devan said he resigned from the BJP on August 16 after spending nearly five years in the party without being given a meaningful role.
"I came to the BJP to work. These people are not allowing me to work. That is the main reason," Devan told NDTV.
"I've been with them for the last five years. Working in the sense, I have been simply sitting there. They will not give me any job."
Devan said continuing in the BJP without being allowed to contribute made little sense to him.
"To be there is not good for me, it's not good for my state. So I thought it was better to resign, go out and do something where, with my visions and missions, I can reach the people," he said.
According to Devan, political offers started coming almost immediately after his resignation became public.
He claimed the Congress contacted him and invited him to join the party, but he turned down the offer. Some smaller political parties also approached him.
"Congress tried to call me. They called me, so I told them, 'I'm sorry, I'm not interested in coming with you.' Then some other local parties also called me. I told them, 'No,'" Devan said.
The significant call, he said, came from Vijay's TVK.
"My resignation was on August 16. On the morning of August 17, I got a call from TVK, from Joseph Vijay's office, that they were interested in talking to me," Devan said.
According to him, TVK representatives travelled to his residence in Chalakudy the same day and held detailed discussions with him.
Two leaders from TVK's Tamil Nadu unit reportedly met Devan at his house along with actor Priyanka. The meeting lasted around three hours. Senior TVK leaders subsequently held further discussions with Devan through Google Meet.
Devan told NDTV that the talks convinced both sides that there was common ground between him and Vijay.
"There is a similarity between Joseph Vijay and myself. Our thoughts, our programmes, our ideology, our commitment to the people, all are the same," he said.
"So there is no problem for us to work together. I thought it was better to do that, and they offered me the state leadership in Kerala."
Asked specifically about the responsibility offered to him, Devan said: "The chief of their party in Kerala, like the state president."
The discussions also covered TVK's plans for Kerala and possible political alliances in the state.
Devan is expected to travel to Chennai after September 10 for a meeting with Vijay. He said the meeting was being scheduled after the ongoing Assembly session, which continues until September 8. A final decision and formal announcement are expected only after the meeting.
Devan and Vijay also share a long association from the film industry. Devan said the two have acted together in six films, with Devan playing both villain and other major roles, and have maintained a good personal relationship.
But Devan believes TVK's opportunity in Kerala goes beyond Vijay's popularity as a film star.
He launched a sharp attack on Kerala's established political fronts, arguing that voters were increasingly looking for another option.
"People are disappointed, totally disappointed. They had trusted them so much. When the BJP came, they had some trust in them, some expectations. That also failed. They are all disappointed," Devan told NDTV.
He claimed there was growing dissatisfaction with the BJP as well as with the LDF and UDF and described Vijay's TVK as a potential alternative.
"People are looking for another alternative. Now, the alternative is Vijay's TVK. That is the feedback I'm getting from the ground level," he said.
Devan said the response was particularly visible among younger people.
"I was surprised to see youngsters, students and girls also. Everybody is thrilled to receive Vijay here," he said.
If Devan accepts the offer, the move would mark TVK's most significant organisational push into Kerala so far and give Vijay's party a familiar political and film personality to lead its operations in the state.
For Devan, it would also mark another political turn -- from quitting the BJP after complaining that he was left without a role for five years to potentially taking charge of a new party's Kerala unit.
The final call now rests on his meeting with Vijay in Chennai.
