Lamenting the absence of prominent Dalit leader Thol Thirumavalavan at the release of a book of essays honoring BR Ambedkar, actor-turned-politician Vijay on Friday took aim at the DMK-led coalition in the state and said that those who “have fully survived their coalition.” The figures” would have their figures “destroyed by the people in 2026 (when the Assembly elections should be in Tamil. Nadu)”.
The release of the book was already mired in controversy over Thirumavalavan’s decision to stay away from the event. Thirumavalavan is the leader of Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), an ally of Tamil Nadu’s ruling DMK. At first he agreed to share the stage with Vijay in this event, but then he walked out. Vijay had taken several speeches from the DMK in his first political rally in October.
“Thol Thirumavalavan could not come here. He can’t even attend the release of the book honoring Ambedkar,” said Vijay when the book was released. Ellarukumana Thalaivar Ambedkar (Ambedkar: The Leader for All), published by Vikatan Publications.
“Even if I can take all that pressure that exists in the politics of the alliance, I am sure that his mind was full of this event,” said Vijay.
Beginning his speech with a nod to Ambedkar, Vijay asked, “What would have angered Ambedkar in today’s India if he had lived?” He then started criticizing the government and the central government.
He pointed out the Centre’s failure in the Manipur dispute, and took a swipe at the Tamil Nadu government over the unsolved Vengaivayal case, where in 2022, human excrement was found inside a tank that supplied water to Scheduled Caste residents.
“If Ambedkar had seen this now, he would have fallen silent in shame,” said Vijay.
“Tweets with situations and statements about people’s issues, and pictures played in the rain – these do not represent the people,” he said, adding, “We need a people’s government here, which is really anti-people.”
Originally scheduled to include Chief Minister MK Stalin and Thirumavalavan, the book launch had its own guest list and schedule changed, with Vijay replacing Stalin as the chief guest. Thirumavalavan initially agreed to share the platform with Vijay before the latter launched his political party in October.
In a statement on Friday morning, Thirumavalavan said, “As I am part of the DMK alliance, my presence (at the book launch) would have been political.”
On this occasion, Vijay said, “Those who cannot respect the needs of the people and live fully in their coalition calculations – let me remind you, your desperate coalition calculations will be destroyed by the people themselves in 2026.
The controversy surrounding the release of the book was also caused by the fact that the event was jointly hosted by Voice of Commons, a political product strategy firm run by Aadhav Arjun – the deputy general secretary of Thirumavalavan’s VCK.
Arjun, son-in-law of controversial lottery kingpin Santiago Martin, joined VCK earlier this year. Before that, he was closely associated with the DMK’s internal strategic group, which was controlled by Stalin’s son-in-law, Sabareesan, and other secretaries.
His role in facilitating Vijay’s participation in the book release event on Friday fueled speculation about the growing rift between the DMK and the VCK.
In recent months, Arjun has taken a direct swipe at Deputy CM Udhayanidhi Stalin, calling him “just a movie star who rose too fast”, and criticized the DMK alliance for refusing to share power with allies like the VCK. While Thirumavalavan has consistently denied speculation of a split within the DMK alliance, it is noteworthy that Arjun did not face any action in the VCK.
The book release was also attended by eminent social activist Anand Teltumbde, and former Madras High Court judge K Chandru.