Actor-turned-politician and Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief Vijay on Thursday launched a sharp attack on the ruling DMK, branding it an “evil force” and declaring that the political battle in Tamil Nadu is now a direct contest between the two parties.

Addressing a public meeting, Vijay invoked political rhetoric famously used by late AIADMK stalwarts M.G. Ramachandran and J. Jayalalithaa, who often referred to the DMK as “theeya sakthi” (evil force). In contrast, he described his party as a “thooya sakthi” (pure force).

"The contest is now between the thooya sakthi TVK and theeya sakthi DMK," Vijay said, in an apparent reference to the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections.

This marked Vijay’s first public outreach in Tamil Nadu following the September 27 TVK rally in Karur, where a stampede claimed 41 lives. After the incident, he had limited his engagements to a closed-door meeting in Kancheepuram and a public rally in the neighbouring Union Territory of Puducherry.

Vijay also alleged that vested interests were running a sustained smear campaign against him. He asserted that leaders such as former chief ministers C.N. Annadurai and M.G. Ramachandran were inspirations for all Tamils and could not be claimed as the legacy of any single party.

Criticising the DMK government, Vijay raised concerns over law and order, agricultural distress, and governance failures. He also predicted a steady influx of leaders into TVK, stating that those who joined the party would be given due recognition.