For individuals whose ambitions are greater than their political convictions, and for those who lack an organisational base rooted in strong ideology, the BJP often presents itself as a waiting opportunity, a fallback path to power.
Published Oct 01, 2025 | 12:00 PM ⚊ Updated Oct 01, 2025 | 12:40 PM
Police have barricaded the scene of stampede.
Synopsis: TVK’s supporters are new to politics. Many of them had never shown any interest in political matters. Their understanding of politics comes primarily through social media. They belong to a generation largely indifferent to traditional political discourse, with little to no engagement in movements or political literature. This untested yet vast support base is now scrambling to protect their messiah from crucifixion. At least, that’s how they perceive it. And the old political forces, which have so far failed to dent the DMK’s dominance, see an opportunity.
Three days after the deadly stampede in Karur, Vijay released a well-scripted but poorly directed video. He challenged the chief minister of Tamil Nadu to arrest him instead of initiating coercive action against TVK members.
Vijay neither apologised for the tragedy nor took any accountability for the 41 lives lost due to the stampede.
After the stampede during actor Vijay’s event in Karur, there is widespread curiosity about how the political scenario would evolve in Tamil Nadu.
While seasoned observers had sensed the direction it was now taking well before the Karur incident, many were still in disbelief, thinking Vijay might not take that trajectory. But recent events following the Karur tragedy suggest otherwise.
Actor Vijay has been the superstar of Tamil cinema. After Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan, he commands one of the largest fan bases in Tamil Nadu. Even in his films, he consistently portrayed an image hinting at a political future. He never shied away from such portrayals.
With deliberate associations to Tamil identity, Eelam politics, Periyar, Dravidian ideology, women’s empowerment, and anti-BJP sentiments, Vijay steadily built a stable path toward a political future during his career in cinema.
Upon entering politics, Vijay declared the BJP as his ideological enemy and the DMK as his political rival. He even described Dravidianism and Tamil nationalism as the “two eyes” of Tamil Nadu. Since then, he has equated the BJP with DMK, alleging secret understandings between the two parties.
Vijay during the political rally in Karur.
Vijay attempted to forge alliances with parties like AIADMK, VCK, and the communist parties, but none showed interest. In fact, they criticised him, suggesting he recognise the infancy of his party before seeking alliances with prominent players.
Vijay announced a district-wise tour across Tamil Nadu to demonstrate his party’s strength, scheduled to run until February. As expected, he drew massive crowds at every stop. Thousands waited for hours just to hear him speak for less than 30 minutes.
In each speech, he criticised both the DMK and BJP, encouraging crowds to chant “TVK vs DMK,” projecting the upcoming elections as a direct battle between the two.
However, the recent Karur event turned into a nightmare. Just as his efforts to project himself as a “man of the people” seemed to be working, the tragic stampede, in which at least 41 people were killed, became a major setback.
These deaths have clearly shaken the people of Tamil Nadu and marked a turning point in Vijay’s political journey, forcing him to confront the realities of traditional Tamil Nadu politics.
While the DMK government stepped in quickly, taking care of the injured and presenting itself as a responsible authority, Vijay returned to his Chennai home, a move widely seen as a misstep and one that may remain a black mark on his political record.
In the wake of the tragedy, political alignments have rapidly shifted. From Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s prompt condolence message to BJP’s former state president K Annamalai’s support for Vijay, the entire BJP camp appears to have aligned behind him. Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman visited the grieving families. The Union Home Ministry has requested a status report from the DMK government.
The injured at the Government Hospital in Karur.
An NDA delegation, including MPs Hema Malini and Tejasvi Surya, has been formed to visit Karur. Interestingly, the BJP’s concern over Karur far exceeds its response to more severe incidents like those in Manipur.
Meanwhile, many social media influencers known for their anti-DMK stance have rallied behind Vijay, amplifying his criticism. Seeman, who previously opposed Vijay, is now carefully balancing his stance.
A TV channel reported that TVK members met auditor Gurumurthy after the incident, but Gurumurthy, who is known to influence Tamil Nadu BJP politics from the background, has denied the news. Like BJP’s Annamalai, TVK’s Aadhav Arjuna has called for a CBI probe into the incident.
TVK has moved a petition in the high court, suspecting a conspiracy behind the stampede and consequent deaths. TVK cadres have begun echoing theories that former minister V Senthil Balaji orchestrated the stampede to reassert his influence in Karur.
Once again, as has often been the case in Tamil Nadu politics for over five decades, all anti-DMK political forces have aligned against the DMK, now seemingly backing Vijay.
There is a curious alternative perspective regarding the formation of TVK, as observed by several political analysts in Tamil Nadu. Although Vijay has long harboured political ambitions, the groundwork for launching his party began only after an income tax raid ordered by the Union government in 2020.
While Seeman has often appeared to play along with the BJP, arguably to dilute the influence of Dravidian politics in Tamil Nadu, some believe the BJP also needed a Tamil nationalist figure to simulate genuine linguistic politics without truly threatening central authority.
When Vijay introduced the narrative of “the two eyes of Tamil Nadu”, it was no wonder that it had speculations. To many observers, he appeared to be another BJP-friendly figure, consciously or unconsciously helping fulfil their strategic objectives in the state.
Adding to this perception is the BJP’s seemingly soft approach towards Vijay. The Union government has shown no resistance to IRS officer Arun Raj resigning from service to join TVK, despite the party having openly declared the BJP as its ideological enemy.
The BJP has long played a familiar game in Indian politics, using localised icons supported by trusted individuals from within its own circle to execute its strategies. For Rajinikanth, there was Arjuna Moorthy. For Vijay, it now seems to be Arun Raj.
Even Pawan Kalyan, who served as an inspiration for Vijay’s political ambitions, began as an anti-BJP figure but eventually aligned with the party.
For individuals whose ambitions are greater than their political convictions, and for those who lack an organisational base rooted in strong ideology, the BJP often presents itself as a waiting opportunity, a fallback path to power. As for Vijay, if not now, then it is almost certainly later.
TVK’s supporters are new to politics. Many of them had never shown any interest in political matters. Their understanding of politics comes primarily through social media. They belong to a generation largely indifferent to traditional political discourse, with little to no engagement in movements or political literature.
This untested yet vast support base is now scrambling to protect their messiah from crucifixion. At least, that’s how they perceive it. And the old political forces, which have so far failed to dent the DMK’s dominance, see an opportunity.
They have begun fuelling the anger of TVK followers, anger that Vijay himself has been cultivating without solid grounding. The same vultures who once used Rajinikanth to gain a foothold in Tamil Nadu politics are now circling over Vijay.
Will Vijay become prey, to be used to prey upon Tamil Nadu? The future holds the answer.
(Views are personal. Edited by Majnu Babu).
