Amid speculation that Vijay, one of the top stars in the Tamil cinema industry, is planning to enter politics, the actor addressed an event organised by the All India Thalapathy Vijay Makkal Iyakkam, his fans association, in Chennai on Saturday, June 17, to felicitate students who had recently passed out of Class 10 and Class 12. The actor, who is set to celebrate his 49th birthday on June 22, did not offer hints on entering politics but exhorted the students to cultivate reading habit and read stalwarts like Dr BR Ambedkar, Periyar and Kamarajar.
Though Vijay did not directly hint at entering politics, he made it clear that he is unhappy with how political parties function and asked first time voters to be mindful of their choices. Thalapathy Vijay Makkal Iyakkam, which has transformed itself into a welfare organisation, had contested the local body elections in Tamil Nadu in October 2021 and won 115 seats out of 169 where it contested.
Taking potshots at political parties that are currently elected to power, Vijay cautioned students against bribes for votes. “You are tomorrow’s voters. You will be electing the future leaders. We are poking our own eyes with our hands, by getting money for votes. Consider a politician giving Rs 1000 to a voter in a constituency that has 1.5 lakh voters. How much he must have given as a bribe, nearly 15 crore? If a person gives a bribe of Rs 15 crore think how much he must have earned before that! I want all this to be a part of your educational system. There will be a change if you go and tell your parents that they should not get money to vote,” he said.
The event, held at RK Convention Centre at Neelangarai in Chennai, was unusual as Vijay normally attends only film-related events. Off late, the Iyakkam, his fans association, has been organising other events, and even contested local body polls. During previous years, Iyakkam did humanitarian work across the state, as part of the actor’s birthday. However, this year he met young students who will be first-time voters in the next general election and 2026 the Assembly elections.
He also recalled a dialogue from the Dhanush starrer Asuran, which says that education cannot be taken away from people at any cost, and said that the thought had a great impact on him. “I wanted to do something for education, which is an integral part of life. This has been going on in my mind for so long, and now is the right time to do so,” he said. He also added that education is beyond what is taught in classrooms.
Stating that students should read beyond their textbooks, he said that he developed a reading habit only recently. “I didn’t have a reading habit. Recently, I have started reading and I enjoy the reading process. You should know about leaders. Read Ambedkar, Periyar, Kamarajar. Take the good stuff, and leave the bad ones. This should be your take-home message,” he said.
He also said that the students who passed their examinations should spend some time with those who did not, and motivate them to attempt them again. “There will be some people who discourage you but don’t take it to heart. Listen only to what your heart says,” he said. He ended his speech with the phrase “Valarpom kalvi, Valarga en kutty nanba nanbis” (roughly meaning ‘let us nurture education, and may all my little friends grow’).
Watch: Actor Vijay political entry: What's the plan and can it work?