Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay addressed the state Legislative Assembly on Tuesday, June 23, delivering his first detailed speech in the House. The speech came during the Motion of Thanks to the Governor’s address, on the final day of the first session of the 17th Tamil Nadu Assembly. The session had begun on June 18.
Vijay’s remarks drew wide attention, particularly his response to critics who have continued to question his political legitimacy based on his film background.
“That is just a reel”
Vijay directly addressed claims that he had walked straight from a film set into the Chief Minister’s chair. “Some people say that I came directly from a film shooting set to become Chief Minister. In their own language, I would say that is just a ‘reel’. When we were functioning as a fan club, we stood by the people,” he said.
He made clear that his connect with the public predated both his party and his electoral debut.
Years of grassroots work before the party
Vijay traced his fan club’s public activity back to 2008, listing protests in support of Sri Lankan Tamils, welfare schemes in 2009, a fishermen’s meeting in 2011, involvement in the Jallikattu and Sterlite protests, student scholarships, and anti-CAA statements as evidence of long-term ground-level work.
In July 2009, Vijay had organised his fan clubs, reportedly numbering around 85,000 across Tamil Nadu, under a welfare association called Vijay Makkal Iyakkam, which translates to Vijay’s People Movement.
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TVK was formally launched on 2 February 2024. Vijay presented this gap between the fan club’s early welfare work and the party’s formation as evidence that his political journey was not opportunistic.
“Most people start a political party first and then go to the people. We went to the people first and only then started our party. Those who fail to understand this are the ones who dismiss us as merely an actor’s party,” he said.
Vijay concluded his speech by seeking permission from Speaker JCD Prabhakar to perform a cinematic gesture, similar to one that former Chief Minister MK Stalin had performed in the House earlier. The act drew applause from the treasury benches.