The public meeting, scheduled at Oupalam near Puducherry town, has been capped at 10,000 attendees. The TVK is making the required arrangements to comply with the restrictions.
File Photo: IANS
Moving past the Karur stampede that claimed 41 lives and pushed the fledgling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) onto the defensive, party president and film star Vijay is set to resume his mass outreach from Puducherry on December 9.
However, this time there will be neither a roadshow nor a typical public gathering. The Puducherry Police have denied permission for roadshows requested by the TVK, citing security concerns following the tragic incident during Vijay’s rally in Karur on September 27. Since this will be Vijay’s first public event after the tragedy, Chief Minister N. Rangasamy has also aligned with the police decision, despite senior TVK leaders meeting him twice seeking approval.
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The public meeting, scheduled at Oupalam near Puducherry town, has been capped at 10,000 attendees. The TVK is making the required arrangements to comply with the restrictions. Only individuals with a QR-coded pass will be allowed entry, and separate seating areas will be organized for every group of 1,000 participants. With the police permitting the event between 10:30 a.m. and 12 noon, Vijay is expected to address the gathering for around 45 minutes.
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Earlier, the TVK had planned a roadshow and public meeting in Salem, Tamil Nadu, but the event was postponed due to the local festival season. Subsequently, Puducherry was chosen as the venue to restart the campaign.
Meanwhile, TNCC president K. Selvaperunthagai has dismissed as insignificant the meeting between TVK chief Vijay and Praveen Chakravarthi of the All India Professionals Congress. The meeting took place at a time when the Congress leadership had formed a five-member panel to negotiate seat-sharing with the DMK, which heads the INDIA bloc in the state. This led to speculation that the Congress was exploring alternative political options, causing unease within the party since Chakravarthi is considered close to Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi.
“Only the committee constituted by the AICC is authorised to hold alliance talks. The INDIA alliance remains intact, and the Congress-DMK relationship is strong,” the TNCC chief told the media after paying floral tribute to Dr. B. R. Ambedkar on his death anniversary.
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