Tamil Nadu govt running on DMK's mercy: MK Stalin says Vijay wave won't last long

MK Stalin attacked Chief Minister Vijay and said the TVK government was surviving on DMK's mercy. His remarks came as the new administration depends on post-poll support after falling short of a majority.

In Short

• MK Stalin called TVK's victory a cinema-driven surge, not political conviction
• He said voters backed actor Vijay in excitement and may drift away
• TVK won 108 seats, staying short of the 118-seat majority in Tamil Nadu

DMK president MK Stalin on Sunday launched a sharp attack on Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay and his newly formed government, claiming the ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) administration would not survive a full five-year term and was "running on the mercy" of the Dravidian party.

Addressing party workers, Stalin described the outcome of the recent Tamil Nadu Assembly election as a "cinema tsunami" rather than a political wave, arguing that voters had backed Vijay out of enthusiasm for a popular film star rather than political conviction.

"People voted in excitement because their favourite actor launched a party. In a few days, they will lose interest in this toy," Stalin said. He added that voters would eventually "search for the DMK again, just like a child looks for its mother".

The former Chief Minister also questioned the stability of the TVK-led government, pointing out that the party had failed to cross the majority mark of 118 seats on its own.

"They could not even secure a majority. Today, the government is surviving because of our mercy. Anytime, any day, it can fall," he said.

Stalin further alleged that attempts were made to split the AIADMK but had failed, and claimed the current political situation in the state remained unstable.

Referring to supporting allies, he noted that parties such as the Communist parties, the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) and the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) had initially only extended outside support to the TVK government but later joined the Cabinet.

"We will wait and watch what happens. Surely, this government will not last for five years," he said.

In the recently concluded Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, Vijay-led TVK emerged as the single-largest party with 108 seats, falling short of the majority mark in the 234-member House.

The Congress, IUML and VCK had contested the April 23 Assembly polls as part of the DMK-led alliance. However, shortly after the results, Congress, which won five seats, walked out of the alliance and extended support to TVK.

The VCK and IUML later backed Vijay as he moved to secure enough numbers to form his maiden government in the state.

The election marked a major setback for the DMK, which had won 133 seats in the 2021 Assembly polls but was reduced to just 59 seats this time. Stalin himself suffered defeat from the Kolathur constituency.

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