Chennai: Tamil Nadu's ruling DMK has dismissed actor-politician Vijay's ideology for his Tamizhaga Vetri Kazhagam, saying he had copied them. Main opposition AIADMK called it a "cocktail" of current political standpoints of various parties.
"These are all our policies, he is copying... whatever he says is what we had already said and which we are following," DMK leader TKS Elangovan was quoted as saying by news agency Press Trust of India.
In his debut public appearance yesterday, Vijay had targeted the DMK's first family and even slammed the party's politics, saying they were "cheating people... in the name of Dravidian model".
As for the family of MK Stalin, he said, "One family is looting the state" through "underhand dealing".
DMK said it has seen many rivals in its long innings. "This is the first conference and let us see, we have seen many parties," Mr Elangovan said.
Vijay had said his party, he said, would adopt Dravidian icon Periyar's policy on social justice and women's empowerment. The other icons of his party, he said, were Kamaraj, NR Ambedkar, freedom fighter Velu Nachiar and revolutionary Anjalai Ammal women icons.
But there was a special clarification -- "We will not take Periyar's 'No god' stand, we are against nobody's faith," he had said.
Underscoring his party's strong ideological moorings and its 75-year journey, Mr Elangovan said the party was built to fight for people's issues, whereas Vijay's party aspires to be in power in 2026, within two years of its launch.
Unlike leaders of the DMK, TVK leaders would not fight for people by going to jail. "That is the difference between DMK and other parties...we are strong, we work for the people, we are for the people," he said.
AIADMK spokesperson Kovai Sathyan congratulated Vijay on entering politics but said he has a long way to go to deliver.
TVK's ideology "is a mix of ideology of all parties and old wine in new bottle...a cocktail ideology taken from all political parties in Tamil Nadu," he said.
(With agencies)