Drama and filmy one-liners: Opposition scoffs at Vijay's fiery Assembly speech

Opposition parties in Tamil Nadu on Monday lashed out at Chief Minister Vijay over his fiery Assembly speech targetting the DMK, accusing him of “acting” for his audience, delivering “punchy one-liners” and turning the House into a political stage.Vijay, 52, had launched a sharp attack on the DMK, citing an Enforcement Directorate document to allege corruption in the previous government, and accusing contractors of being made to pay a percentage of their contract value as “party funds”. He also invoked the Sarkaria Commission report and alleged a history of corruption under the DMK.DMK leader RS Bharathi reacted to Vijay's allegations, alleging that the Chief Minister had turned the Assembly into a stage. “He acted in the Assembly like he has acted in the film to satisfy his audience, nothing more than that,” Bharathi said.Taking aim at Vijay's reference to the Sarkaria Commission report, Bharathi said the actor-politician was invoking an issue that dated back decades. “All that with the Sarkaria Commission... he was not even born then, because the complaint was lodged in 1972. It is nearly 54 years... All those things have been disposed of by the people. After that, we came to power four times,” he said.Bharathi accused Vijay of trying to mislead both his supporters and the public, calling his performance “filthy acting” and “irritating acting”. “This is not expected from the Chief Minister. Tamil Nadu has not seen such a scene in the past,” he said. Drawing a comparison with actors-turned-politicians and former chief ministers MG Ramachandran and J Jayalalithaa, Bharathi said both had been film stars but did not “act” in the Assembly.“Even MGR and Jayalalithaa were actors. They didn't act in the Assembly. But he is an empty vessel and he proved it,” Bharathi said.Leader of Opposition and DMK leader Udhayanidhi Stalin also accused Vijay of making "baseless" corruptions allegations without evidence and using the Assembly to target his party.“He levelled baseless allegations against us without any proof. The Chief Minister spoke as if he thinks the DMK government is still in power. We were not allowed to respond to any of those allegations,” Udhayanidhi said.He compared Vijay's speech to a “memorised recitation competition” and challenged the government to act if there were cases against DMK leaders.“Just like how he ran away on Thursday (September 3), today's reply was like a memorised recitation competition. He says there are cases against us. If there are cases, take action against them. That is what we do,” he said.DMK leader O Panneerselvam also hit out at Vijay's speech, describing it as “drama” and objecting to the Chief Minister's conduct in the House.The remarks came after a major showdown inside the Assembly, with DMK MLAs raising slogans, surrounding Speaker JCD Prabhakar's podium and entering the well before the party eventually staged a walkout.AIADMK AND BJP ALSO ATTACK VIJAYAIADMK spokesperson Kovai Sathyan lashed out at Vijay, claiming that the Assembly's decorum had been “completely turned into a mockery” during Monday's proceedings.The BJP also joined in, with BJP leader Vinoj P Selvam questioning whether Vijay understood that the Assembly was not a political stage. “When will Chief Minister Thiru Vijay realise that the Assembly is not a political stage?” Selvam said in a post on X.He said the day's debate was held under the guise of a discussion on demands for grants for the police department, but alleged that Vijay did not speak about constructive, department-related matters.“Instead, he has sought to turn everyone's attention toward himself by levelling frenzied accusations against the opposition parties and delivering punchy one-liners, all in an effort to position himself as a hero in the political arena. This may bring him political gains. What will the people gain?” he asked.VIJAY'S CORRUPTION ALLEGATIONS AGAINST DMKIn the Assembly, Vijay had launched a no-holds-barred attack on the previous DMK government, citing an ED document to allege that contractors were made to pay between 7.5 per cent and 10 per cent of government contract values as “party funds”.He alleged that the money was collected from contractors executing works under the Municipal Administration and Water Supply Department and claimed that bribes were collected in instalments “like paying an EMI on a loan”.Vijay also cited the ED's reference to the “Karur gang” while targeting former minister V Senthil Balaji over alleged collections from liquor outlets and bar owners. He described the alleged network as an example of “scientific corruption” during the DMK regime.The Chief Minister also invoked the Sarkaria Commission report over allegations linked to the Veeranam water supply scheme, saying the report referred to demands for “party funds” during an earlier DMK regime.Vijay's speech came amid an increasingly bitter confrontation between the ruling TVK and the DMK. The two parties have traded accusations over corruption and law and order, with Udhayanidhi Stalin recently questioning the government's handling of crimes in the state.Vijay also took a swipe at Udhayanidhi Stalin without naming him over the recent controversy surrounding his 'double-meaning' remarks involving actor Trisha. “Speaking of our people or women in a demeaning way, let's not have that,” Vijay said, adding, “So if women are insulted, the law will take its action.”Udhayanidhi Stalin was arrested and later released on station bail on August 4 in connection with a case arising from remarks alluding to Trisha during a Cauvery protest in Thanjavur on August 3. He has denied making any objectionable comment and said he was referring to the Cauvery issue. He accused the Vijay government of political vendetta.- EndsPublished By: Prateek ChakrabortyPublished On: Sep 7, 2026 14:38 IST