Madurai (Tamil Nadu) [India], December 30 : Ahead of the upcoming assembly elections in Tamil Nadu, senior All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) leader Sellur Raju took a dig at actor Vijay of Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), saying that he hopes that Vijay doesn't end up in a similar situation as Kamal Haasan, who formed an alliance with the ruling DMK for merely a "single seat".
"Many actors have started political parties. Kamal Haasan too launched a party claiming to fight corruption, but today he has gone into an alliance with the DMK for the sake of a single seat. I hope Vijay does not end up in a similar situation," Raju said while addressing a presser here.
Responding to Vijay's remarks suggesting that the assembly election contest remains between his party and the DMK, the AIADMK leader said that only people can decide their presence on the ground.
He said that crowd gatherings at Vijay's rally were natural since he is a professional actor, implying that it may fizzle out if the actor "comes to meet the people continuously three times".
"Whether we are actually in the field or not will be decided by the people themselves. In the upcoming election, the AIADMK-led alliance will emerge victorious. I do not feel it is necessary to respond to everything said by Vijay, who entered politics only yesterday. Even if he holds a public meeting by bringing along comedian Vadivelu, a bigger crowd will gather than for Vijay alone. Even if he brings actress Nayanthara to campaign, people will turn up in large numbers. When an actor speaks, crowds naturally gather. Actor Vijay has a large fan following," Raju said.
"Two days ago, at an audio launch event held in Malaysia, actor Vijay asked his fans whether he should continue in cinema or not. The fans responded that he should continue, and Vijay reportedly replied, 'We'll see.' People may gather just to see Vijay. But if Vijay comes to meet the people continuously three times, we will then see how the crowd turnout really is," he added.
Addressing speculations that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is planning to form an alliance with the TVK as well, the AIADMK said it was their choice. However, adding a word of caution, Raju added that Vijay has neither contested an election nor "done anything for the people".
He further took a jibe at Vijay, saying that one doesn't become a Chief Minister after starting a political party.
"The BJP inviting Vijay to join an alliance is their choice. However, Vijay has not contested in any election or by-election so far, nor has he done anything for the people yet. He is new to politics, and therefore I do not wish to criticise him. In fact, I was someone who wanted him to start a new political party. But he seems to think that once he starts a party, he can become Chief Minister like MGR. MGR joined the DMK in 1952 and worked hard for many years. After that, MGR founded the AIADMK party and went on to become the Chief Minister," Raju said.
Last week, Union Minister Piyush Goyal, who is also the Tamil Nadu BJP election in-charge, met AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami in Chennai and initiated talks to make their alliance formal ahead of the upcoming assembly polls.
On Sunday, Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK) general secretary TTV Dhinakaran said his party has not taken any decision on forming an alliance, even as several parties remain in talks on the same.
Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu Congress president Selva Perunthagai asserted that the INDIA bloc remains strong, despite attempts by opposition parties to create confusion within it. He said the opposition is trying to create rifts in the alliance, but their efforts will not succeed.