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‘Vijay for PM’ is a far cry. He looks lost even as Tamil Nadu CM

Declaring the BJP his ‘ideological enemy’ doesn’t say much about Vijay’s ideology. He won’t even take a clear stand on delimitation.

Every 11th person in India finds C Joseph Vijay, Tamil Nadu’s Chief Minister, the best suited to become the Prime Minister. For someone who has been a CM for barely four months — 114 days to be precise — India Today’s latest Mood of the Nation survey could be really heady. The Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) founder was the third most preferred PM choice for 9.2 per cent of the respondents, with 48.7 per cent choosing Prime Minister Narendra Modi and 27.1 per cent Rahul Gandhi.

Vijay might well have become the third most preferred PM candidate within 100 days in the CM’s office, as the MOTN survey was conducted before 25 August. His ministers were already predicting it. “You work without looking at AM or PM, you are definitely the next PM,” said Human Resources Management Minister D Sarathkumar. Public Works Minister Aadhav Arjuna said it’s time for a PM from a southern state, which is ideally Tamil Nadu. 

Don’t dismiss their remarks as mere sycophancy. Look at the videos in Hindi on social media. As my colleague, Shweta Tripathi, reported from Chennai, most of these videos are more wishful than factual — Vijay ordering death penalty, police encounters of the rape accused, waiving of private hospital bills, and increasing the state’s electronics exports to nearly half of India’s total within weeks. Who could be behind these Hindi videos? No prizes for guessing. 

Congress leaders in Tamil Nadu aren’t amused by the Vijay-for-PM clamour, understandably. More so when he is preparing to enter Congress-ruled Keralam. S Devan, an actor-turned-politician from Keralam, has resigned from........

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