VCK leader Thirumavalavan slams Vijay's silence on anti-Periyar remarks

Chennai, June 26 (IANS) Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) leader Thol. Thirumavalavan on Thursday criticised Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) founder and actor-turned-politician Vijay for his silence over the derogatory comments made against Dravidian stalwarts Periyar and C.N. Annadurai at a recent Hindu Munnani conference held in Madurai.

Addressing reporters at the Chennai airport, Thirumavalavan said that Vijay’s failure to condemn the comments has raised questions about the sincerity of his adherence to Periyarist ideology.

“Actor Vijay should have spoken out and condemned the visuals circulated from the Murugan Manadu. Those advising him ought to have guided him better,” he remarked.

The videos in question, screened during the Hindu Munnani’s Madurai event, described Periyar and Annadurai as “Dravidian jackals” and proclaimed the organisation’s goal to dismantle the Dravidian movement and revive a “Theiviga Tamil Nadu” (Divine Tamil Nadu).

Thirumavalavan said such explicit attacks on foundational figures of the Dravidian ideology should have drawn a strong response from those who claim to uphold their legacy.

“If he continues to remain silent on such serious attacks, it raises the question of whether his embrace of Periyar’s ideology is genuine or merely symbolic,” he added.

The VCK leader also lashed out at the AIADMK for downplaying the issue and failing to strongly condemn the remarks made at the event. He insisted that the AIADMK, as a party rooted in the Dravidian movement, has a responsibility to safeguard the legacy of Periyar and Anna.

“A mere expression of disagreement is not enough. The AIADMK must unequivocally condemn the insult to leaders like Periyar and Anna,” he said.

Thirumavalavan warned that the AIADMK’s continued alliance with the BJP, whose ideological position runs counter to Dravidian ideals, could lead to its political marginalisation.

“The BJP’s long-term goal is to absorb the AIADMK. Just look at Tamil Nadu BJP chief Nainar Nagendran -- he came up through the AIADMK ranks and is now thoroughly saffronised. The AIADMK must see this as a warning sign,” he said, adding that such an alliance could result in the decline of the AIADMK, which remains the principal opposition in the Tamil Nadu Assembly with 65 MLAs.

In a pointed comparison, Thirumavalavan referred to actor-politician Kamal Haasan, recalling that he too had initially distanced himself from Dravidian politics, but later aligned with the DMK-led front after recognising the need to resist Hindutva forces and protect the ideals of social justice.

“Kamal recognised that social justice is under attack. For the larger good of Tamil Nadu, he took a stand. Vijay, too, must ask himself where he stands,” he said.

When asked about the possibility of the VCK sharing space with the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) in a future alliance, especially if the PMK were to join the DMK-led front, Thirumavalavan declined to answer what he termed a “hypothetical” question.

However, he recalled that the VCK had allied with the PMK in the 2011 Assembly elections but asserted that there has been no political cooperation since then.

He attributed the separation to the PMK’s “social engineering” campaign, which he claimed was deliberately designed to malign the VCK and its core base.

“That compelled us to take a firm and irreversible stand. We will not be part of any alliance that includes the PMK,” he clarified.

--IANS

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