Stories
CM Vijay Alienates Allies with Stalin Remarks and PM Candidacy Push
- •CM Vijay's mocking gesture towards MK Stalin's broken jaw during the Emergency sparked outrage from alliance partners, including CPI(M) and VCK.
- •Vijay issued a clarification, claiming his hand-to-jaw gesture was inadvertent, but allies criticized his 'irresponsible' and 'undignified' behavior.
- •The CPI(M) and CPI boycotted an alliance coordination meeting, signaling discomfort with Vijay's style and the 'fan base mentality' of his party.
- •A controversy erupted over TVK legislators pushing Vijay as the 2029 PM candidate, clashing with Congress's support for Rahul Gandhi.
- •Despite forming the SSJVA alliance, tensions remain between TVK and Congress, and the Left parties are contesting upcoming by-elections separately.
Key Questions Answered
Chief Minister Vijay faced severe criticism for mocking former CM MK Stalin's arrest under the Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA) during the Emergency. Vijay used body language to ridicule Stalin's broken jaw, which was fractured from police beatings while in custody. Alliance partners CPI(M) and VCK condemned the gesture as irresponsible, uncivilized, and lacking dignity, forcing Vijay to issue a clarification claiming the hand-to-jaw gesture was inadvertent.
To resolve the rift, the Secular Social Justice Victory Alliance (SSJVA) was formed during a coordination meeting on September 9. The meeting was attended by the Congress, IUML, VCK, and MDMK. While Vijay was declared the leader of this alliance in Tamil Nadu, the contentious issue of projecting a Prime Ministerial candidate for the 2029 Lok Sabha election was deferred to a later date.
The dispute arose when TVK legislators, including MLA Kanimozhi Santhosh, demanded that Chief Minister Vijay be projected as the alliance's Prime Ministerial candidate for the 2029 Lok Sabha election. This angered the Congress, a key national ally, whose leaders like P Vishwanathan and B Manickam Tagore asserted that Rahul Gandhi would be the Prime Ministerial candidate for the INDIA bloc.
