Tricks and theatrics

Will Vijay's combination of dravida politics and Tamil nationalism be enough to win elections?

- BY LAKSHMI SUBRAMANIAN

A week after his successful campaign rally in Tiruchirappalli—the heart of ‘Chola Mandalam’, the cultural homeland of the Chola empire and the Kaveri delta—actor-politician Vijay launched the second leg of his campaign with a fierce attack against the DMK.

Arriving in Trichy airport by special flight, he travelled under heavy security to Nagapattinam by road. Inside a specially designed bus, Vijay rolled through suburban routes to Nagapattinam and Thiruvarur, as fans and cadres of his Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK) thronged sidewalks, rooftops and road dividers. They chanted “Thalapathy” (commander), hailing Vijay as the Tamil saviour.

Clad in his usual white shirt and khaki trousers, Vijay, 50, climbed atop the bus near the Anna statue at Puthur in Nagapattinam. As the crowd cheered, Vijay held two microphones to ensure that his speech was heard. Technical problems had plagued his Tiruchirappalli rally, forcing him to change microphones thrice.

“How are you all? Have you all eaten?” Vijay asked the crowd, before mounting a sharp attack on the ruling DMK.

“In Ariyalur, when I started speaking, they snapped the power,” Vijay said. “In Trichy, they cut the speaker wires. CM sir, I am asking you—if an RSS leader, [Prime Minister Narendra] Modi ji, or the Union home minister comes here, will you dare cut power like that? Your foundations will shake, won’t they?”