Actor and politician Vijay-led TVK on Friday claimed that the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the Center is putting pressure on him for an alliance in the upcoming Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu. “Earlier, they (BJP) were not applying pressure. Only now have they started doing so,” said Arun Raj, general secretary, policy and publicity, Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK), in Madurai, according to news agency PTI.
He stressed that the new party will not form an alliance with the BJP.
“They tried to apply pressure in many ways. It went to the extent of the CBI investigating and stalling Vijay’s film (Jananayagan). You (media) know what happened,” Arun Raj said.
Vijay had appeared before the CBI in Delhi on January 12 for questioning in the investigation into the stampede that took place during his rally in Karur last year.
Arun Raj referred to Vijay’s statements during a party event in Mahabalipuram, where Vijay ruled out any alliance with “communal forces”, referring to the Bharatiya Janata Party.
“It takes courage to declare that the ruling parties at the Center and the state are enemies,” Raj said, also referring to the ruling DMK party which is in alliance with the Congress.
Raj was responding to a question on why Vijay was not seen criticizing the BJP directly.
In his response, he referred to the party’s first conference in late 2024, where Vijay drew a clear distinction between his “ideological enemies” and his “political opponents”.
Vijay had identified the BJP as his party’s primary ideological opponent. He described the BJP’s policies as “divisive” and “communal”, comparing them to TVK’s core ideology of “secular social justice”.
The DMK was indirectly targeted as a “political enemy”. Vijay accused the party of “hiding behind the Dravidian model” while engaging in “secret deals” and family-centric politics.
Vijay has also been vocal against policies such as “One Nation, One Election” and the National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET), as he views them as infringements on state and federal rights.
Vijay said that TVK will follow the paths of BR Ambedkar and Periyar EV Ramasamy.
At that time, Vijay had pre-emptively denied allegations that he was the BJP’s “B team”. He stressed that TVK is an independent force and will not be an agent of any established player at the national or state level.
