CHENNAI: In his first-ever political attack on TVK founder and actor Vijay, AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami on Thursday said the actor-turned-politician was aspiring for “rewards without toiling for it” and asserted that Vijay’s dreams “will not come true.”
Though he did not name Vijay, Palaniswami’s remarks at Kancheepuram and Uthiramerur were an obvious response to the actor’s statement at his party’s conference in Madurai earlier in the day that the 2026 Assembly election would be a contest only between the TVK and the DMK.
Reiterating that the AIADMK is the only force capable of defeating the DMK, Palaniswami took exception to Vijay’s veiled criticism of the party leadership. “Some ask who is leading the AIADMK or who holds control over it — I pity them. I think they speak out of ignorance. If one does not even know this, how can party cadres place their trust in such leadership?” he asked.
Referring to TVK, EPS said, “They just organised their second conference. It is only a 1.5-year-old child. He (Vijay) has not faced the Assembly election even once. India is a democratic country and everyone has the right to aspire. But aspiring for rewards without toiling for it is the biggest corruption.”
Invoking the legacy of MG Ramachandran and J Jayalalithaa, Palaniswami said new parties in Tamil Nadu inevitably begin by referring to the two leaders because of their enduring connect with the people.