Actor-turned-politician and TVK chief Vijay met Tamil Nadu governor RN Ravi on Monday amid the outrage over the alleged sexual assault of an engineering student at Anna University in Chennai.
Vijay demanded that measures be taken immediately to ensure the safety of women, a move welcomed by state BJP chief K Annamalai.
The TVK president submitted a memorandum to governor Ravi and sought his intervention to address what he described as “a severely deteriorating law and order situation” in the state.
“We met the Governor to address the safety of women and the law and order situation,” said TVK general secretary N Anand in a statement, according to the Indian Express.
The meeting was Vijay’s first major political act since the launch of his party in October. Outspoken about crimes against women, the actor-politician has even penned a letter addressing the state’s women and expressed his anguish over “mass atrocities” against them. “As your brother, I feel inexplicable pain. We will create a safe Tamil Nadu together,” he wrote in the open letter.
Vijay’s petition to the Governor also highlighted the need for funds from the Union government to assist the people affected by Cyclone Fengal.
How BJP reacted
Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai welcomed “brother” Vijay’s decision to meet the governor and said in a post on X that the TVK president spoke about the ‘insecurity of women under the DMK regime.’
அண்ணா பல்கலைக்கழக மாணவி மீது, திமுக நிர்வாகி பாலியல் தாக்குதல் நடத்தியதைக் கண்டித்தும், விசாரணை குறித்து முன்னுக்குப் பின் முரணாக, காவல்துறையும், அமைச்சர்களும் பேசி வருவதால், திமுக அரசின் விசாரணையில் நம்பிக்கையின்மை குறித்தும், @BJP4Tamilnadu தொடர்ந்து குரல் கொடுத்து வருகிறது.…
— K.Annamalai (@annamalai_k) December 30, 2024
However not everyone was happy with the actor-turned-politician’s move. DMK ally, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), was among those who called it “elite politics”, accusing Vijay of adopting BJP-style tactics.
The principal opposition party, AIADMK, intensified its protest over the incident, accusing the ruling DMK of negligence and attempting to suppress dissent.
The AIADMK members hit the streets carrying placards which read: “Who is the sir?”, referring to the FIR in which the accused allegedly called someone “sir”.
Following the protests, hundreds of protesters were detained by the police but were later released.
Criticising the DMK’s handling of the case, AIADMK leader Edappadi K Palaniswami said it was “suppression of democracy”, and alleged that the CM M K Stalin-led government was trying to “shield the higher-ups connected with the crime”.
