Tamil Nadu witnessed one of its darkest political tragedies on September 27, 2025, when a stampede at a Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK) campaign in Karur claimed 41 lives. Children, women, and men were crushed in the crowd, and 116 people were injured — people who should have been protected, not abandoned. This was not a natural disaster; it was a man-made failure. 

The next day, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin announced an independent probe led by retired Judge Aruna Jagadeesan. At the same time, the state police launched their own investigation into the tragedy.

Beyond the organisational failure of actor Vijay and his party TVK, the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) government also stands accused of gross negligence. The local administration must be asked whether it ignored safety norms and bypassed state rules (Tamil Nadu Police Standing Order Vol. 1, 8(e), p. 632), as well as national guidelines from the Ministry of Home Affairs’ Bureau of Police Research and Development (Chapter 8) and the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA)’s guidelines of 2015.

On September 29, Chief Minister Stalin released a video on his official X handle warning the public against spreading what he termed “slander.” Within hours, police cases were filed, arrests made, and voices critical of the DMK silenced. This response speaks volumes. The government seems more concerned with controlling public perception than confronting its failures. TVK president Vijay, for his part, released a video asking the CM to “take action” against him and not his fans or his supporters. 

The arrests expose a deeper anxiety: the government’s insecurity about losing its grip as discontent grows.

Equally alarming are the ineffective interventions of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), a party entrusted with holding this government accountable. Its failure to act as an opposition has left the ruling party facing little institutional challenge.

Meanwhile, the DMK’s record continues to deepen public anger. Armed with a court order, it unleashed the police force against sanitation workers in Chennai, broke promises to legislate against ‘honour’ killings, refused to reduce government-run liquor shops, overlooked custodial deaths and encounters, failed to protect leaders like Armstrong from brutal murder, and jailed “Airport” Moorthy, a Scheduled Caste leader, under the Goondas Act after a fracas with the VCK. These are not isolated missteps but part of a pattern of arrogance, betrayal, and suppression.

Into this vacuum steps actor Vijay, whose party has become more than just a political experiment. It is, for many, a symbol of hope and resistance. At a time when democracy seems compromised and opposition weakened, his entry represents the possibility of a genuine alternative.

Emergence of Vijay as a politician

On February 2, 2024, Tamil Nadu witnessed a turning point in its political history. Vijay, known to millions as “Thalapathy” Vijay, one of the state’s most beloved actors, formally launched his political party, the TVK. From that moment, the state’s politics became more heated, unpredictable, and alive than it has been in years.

For decades, Tamil Nadu politics was shaped by towering figures: M Karunanidhi of the DMK and J Jayalalithaa of the AIADMK. While they lived, their authority was unchallenged, their parties unshakeable. Actor Vijayakanth briefly broke this duopoly with his Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK), securing 8.38% of votes in his first election. Yet after his health declined, and until his death, his party faded into irrelevance.

When Karunanidhi passed, he had already prepared the ground for his son, Stalin, to inherit the DMK’s mantle. Jayalalithaa, however, left behind no heir. Without her, the AIADMK splintered into factions, leaderless and directionless. In this vacuum, Stalin consolidated DMK power, but opposition politics collapsed. Into this emptiness stepped Vijay.

Vijay’s charisma and the crowds he pulls

At first, many, including myself, believed that the massive crowds following Vijay were nothing more than fans chasing a superstar, unlikely to translate into real votes. I remembered how my own parents, like many from the Arundhathiyar community, were unwavering in their loyalty to MGR’s AIADMK. For them, the two-leaf symbol alone was enough to secure their vote.

But times have changed. After Jayalalithaa’s death, many Arundhathiyars shifted to supporting Stalin, drawn by the DMK’s policies on reservation and social justice. Today, however, a new generation — educated, outspoken and less bound by uncritical loyalty — is emerging. For this generation, Vijay is not just a film star. He is managing to inspire men, women, and even children across caste and class.

The transformation became visible in real........

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