Vijay escalates attack on Stalin: 'What were your assets before politics, what are they now?'

Actor-turned-politician Vijay sharpened his attack on Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Monday, questioning the wealth of senior politicians and alleging that corruption defines the current regime.

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Addressing party functionaries in Vellore, the founder of Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) framed the upcoming Assembly election as a direct battle between himself and the DMK chief.

"At this juncture, I would like to ask the present day's very big politicians a serious question. What were your assets before you came to politics? What are your assets after you joined politics? Can it be declared openly?" Vijay asked.

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He demanded clarity on the source of such wealth - whether earned through legitimate business or "swindled" after assuming power.

'Real friends are bribe and corruption'

Vijay alleged that Stalin's "real friends are bribe, corruption, and eyeing political gains", and accused the DMK government of making false promises.

The ruling DMK has often highlighted that the state recorded a double-digit economic growth rate of 11.19% in 2024-25 under its administration.

Rejecting the government's narrative that the election is a fight between "Tamil Nadu and Delhi–NDA", Vijay said the real battle was between the people of the state and corruption. He described the DMK administration as "inept" and reiterated that the election was "a war between Vijay and Stalin".

Calling TVK a "pure force", he branded the DMK an "evil force" and dismissed its governance model as a "good-for-nothing ulta model government". He went further, alleging that the state had been turned into a "super-standup comedian-run state".

'Tamil Nadu means Vijay'

Vijay said he had no interest in Stalin's personal life but attacked his governance. "Be what you want to be. But your governance is flawed and not required for TN," he alleged. He also claimed that Tamil Nadu's legacy of development belonged to leaders such as K Kamaraj, C N Annadurai, and M G Ramachandran, not the present government. 

Referring to Stalin's statement that he had no enemies in politics and considered everyone his friend, Vijay questioned why the DMK had blamed him for the Karur stampede that killed 41 people and injured many during a TVK rally. "Then why blame me for the Karur stampede? Why refuse venue and permission for TVK (rallies and events), if we are friends...you did everything and blamed us for the Karur tragedy," he said.

(With inputs from PTI)