Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) president and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C.

Joseph Vijay on Friday (September 25, 2026) accused the DMK of covering up the POCSO Act case against Gem Granites owner R.

Veeramani, though the case was registered when the party was in power.

At a meeting organised as part of his campaign for the Assembly byelection in Madurantanakam (reserved for the Scheduled Caste), Mr.

Vijay asked DMK president and former Chief Minister M.K.

Stalin to “reveal what deal had taken place behind the scenes” and criticised the AIADMK for keeping silent on the issue, asking whether it had an “understanding” with the DMK even on this issue.

He alleged that the accused had been ruining the lives of young girls for many years, and though the case came up during DMK rule, it was covered up.

The accused were now arrested.

The victims were children, he said, asking what the DMK and the AIADMK were doing all these years if they could not speak about the children’s pain.

‘Gem Granite’ Veeramani — a stone cold perpetrator At the meeting at a venue adjoining the Attur toll plaza, about 90 km south of Chennai on the Chennai-Tiruchi National Highway, Mr.

Vijay, who canvassed votes for the TVK-led Secular Social Justice Victory Alliance’s nominee Maragatham Kumaravel, alleged that the DMK had been continuously spreading slander against the TVK and him.

Mr.

Vijay said the reason for his success in the film industry as well as in politics was the people of Tamil Nadu, whom he considered his family.

Because of that relationship, the TVK was able to secure 35% of the votes in the Assembly election and emerge as the single largest party in nearly two-and-a-half years of its formation, he said.

Veeramani case: DMK files ₹1-crore defamation suit against Ministers Aadhav Arjuna, Nirmal Kumar before Madras High Court He also claimed Mr.

Stalin had spoken in a derogatory manner about former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa and the video was still going viral.

Not only Mr.

Stalin but also his family members and senior functionaries of the DMK had been speaking in a derogatory manner and people were closely watching this.

While the DMK members were spreading slander, the AIADMK was supporting it, he alleged.

Throughout his speech, Mr.

Vijay referred to the AIADMK as “many others”, barring one instance in which he named the party.

DMK chief Stalin accuses Tamil Nadu CM Vijay of using ‘reels’ to cover up administrative failures Having decided to join hands with those who had spoken derogatorily about Jayalalithaa, the AIADMK stood exposed and its “mask had been torn off”, he said.

Calling the AIADMK “a branch of the BJP”, Mr.

Vijay said it had now become a local unit of the DMK.

He claimed that the DMK and the AIADMK had colluded and plotted to prevent him from coming to power.

“The reason why I spoke about the history of corruption in the Assembly was to tell the younger generation where the source of corruption was.

When I raised the issue of the history of corruption, the DMK said I was not even born then.

So what?

History would show their corruption.

Through the DMK, corruption was already born.

So what is the point of asking when I was born,” he said.

According to him, whenever he spoke about corruption in the Assembly, the DMK asked him to produce evidence.

Even when he produced evidence, the DMK said it had to be proved in court.

If a counterargument was put forward, he said, the response was that matters pending in court could not be discussed in the Assembly.

Tumultuous scenes in Tamil Nadu Assembly as CM Vijay attacks DMK invoking Sarkaria Commission, Veeranam scandal “Even before I began my Assembly speech, I clearly said I am not going to talk about court cases.

But the Opposition kept shouting.

As this was my first Assembly experience, I was initially confused about whether to speak when they shouted.

However, I understood their intention that they did not want me to speak.

That’s why I had to shout so that my voice would reach the people,” he said.

He said he had developed a thick skin and had seen all sorts of slander for 34 years before entering politics.

He said that as Chief Minister, he had gone to inspect a bridge [Metro Rail viaduct at Kathipara], when Mr.

Stalin said, “Why is [Mr.] Vijay standing on the bridge we built and shooting?

Was that bridge built on [Mr] Stalin’s own money?

From where did the cheque go?

Was it from Gopalapuram [where former Chief Minister M.

Karunanidhi lived] or Chittaranjan Salai [where Mr.

Stalin resides].” Having only ₹10,000 in cash and no car [a reference to Mr.

Stalin’s assets declared in his election affidavit], Mr.

Vijay wondered how he had built a bridge.

“Did he construct it with the unaccountable money,” he asked.

He said the DMK’s electoral arithmetic and calculations had not worked during the elections and claimed its calculations of taking a shortcut to somehow topple his government now would not work.

He said the bond between the people of Tamil Nadu and him was beyond politics.

He said when he assumed office as Chief Minister, he had asked for some time to implement the poll promises due to the severe financial crunch in the exchequer.

“Even in that situation, I have been attempting to fulfil promises that I could.

Now that the Opposition is alleging that even I am [the Tamil Nadu government] also taking loans.

Yes, I am taking loans, not to loot, but to do good for the people,” he said.

He asked how loyal cadres of former Chief Ministers M.G.

Ramachandran and Jayalalithaa could accept a plan to form a government by joining hands with the DMK, which they repeatedly referred to as the “evil force”.

He said AIADMK cadres were deeply hurt and that this was the reason why Maragatham Kumaravel, despite winning the Madurantakam seat, resigned and joined the TVK.

ALSO WATCH AIADMK’s Edappadi Palaniswami hits out at TVK govt over ₹4-crore event for Vijay’s Mettur Dam visit He accused the DMK of frightening people with a claim that the BJP would enter the State.

“But the BJP itself was struggling to breathe.

There is no difference between the DMK and the BJP.

Delhi’s DMK is the BJP and Tamil Nadu’s BJP is the DMK.

The DMK is waiting for the BJP to introduce the delimitation Bill so that it could join hands with it,” he claimed.

The TVK leader alleged that out of frustration at being unable to make any allegation against the TVK, the DMK had taken up the “dangerous weapon” of slandering women.

“When they spoke in a derogatory manner against my mother, I tolerated it.

However, I cannot tolerate such remarks against the women of the State by the DMK leadership and cadres.

Stalin and his family members were enjoying such remarks,” Mr.

Vijay said.

Vijay appealed to the people to vote for the TVK’s ‘Whistle’ symbol and said every vote cast for it would be the biggest punishment for those who spoke derogatorily about women.

He said voting for either the DMK or the AIADMK would amount to supporting those who spoke in a derogatory manner about women.