Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], August 21 : Former Telangana Governor and BJP leader Tamilisai Soundararajan on Thursday hit out at Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief Vijay, calling his address in Madurai today as being "empty".
Soundararajan argued that the BJP's mention in Vijay's speech today was indicative of the party becoming strong in Tamil Nadu.
"The way he was talking shows that the BJP is becoming strong. He portrays himself as a lion. He only revealed his empty speech today. He spoke about fishermen and minorities. Our PM talks about 'sabka saath, sabka vikas', and doesn't leave the minorities," the BJP leader told ANI.
Meanwhile, BJP leader H Raja called Vijay a "fascist" and labelled his speech as "nonsense."
"What right does he have to ask for the vote of the people of Tamil Nadu? Except for minting money through films, he has not done anything for the state. What he spoke was nothing but nonsense. He is a fascist. I condemn what he has said today," Raja told reporters.
Earlier in the day, Vijay set the tone for the forthcoming Tamil Nadu assembly elections, asserting that his party's "ideological enemy" was the BJP while the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) remains its "political enemy".
While addressing a mega rally in Tamil Nadu's Madurai, Vijay said that the contest in the 2026 assembly elections would be between the ruling DMK and his party, TVK.
Vijay also hit out at the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) for aligning with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), terming it a "slave alliance".
"Having power in hand and to cheat people, you have a fascist BJP slave alliance," Vijay said, adding, "TVK is not a party that makes underground deals, forges alliances, and cheats the people. We are not afraid of anyone. The people of Tamil Nadu, the women, and the youth stand with us."
Intensifying his attack, the TVK chief took a jibe at the opposition AIADMK over its condition in the state while remaining firm on his criticism against the BJP.
"Do you know who MGR is? As long as he was alive, no one could even dream of occupying the Chief Minister's chair. Look at the state of the party that MGR founded today. Its innocent cadres are suffering in silence, unable to express their pain openly. No matter what disguise the BJP puts on, it will never succeed in Tamil Nadu," Vijay said.
Vijay intends to present his party, TVK, as a third front in Tamil Nadu politics, an alternative to both the ruling DMK and the opposition AIADMK. The TVK will be contesting the Tamil Nadu assembly elections for the first time since its founding in 2024.
The state elections are scheduled to be held in 2026.