GG News Bureau
Chennai, 20th Sept: Actor-politician Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) has issued a fresh advisory enforcing strict safety and conduct norms for party cadres ahead of his statewide campaign, after the Madras High Court flagged damage to public property during last week’s Trichy rally.
The party barred supporters from organising public receptions, tailing Vijay’s convoy, or indulging in risky acts such as climbing lamp posts, transformers, rooftops, vehicles, trees or flex boards. Bursting of crackers has also been prohibited. Pregnant women, children, senior citizens, the differently abled and the unwell have been urged to watch events online instead of attending in person.
TVK warned cadres against harming public or private property or making inflammatory remarks.
The High Court, hearing TVK’s plea against police-imposed rally restrictions, questioned whether such rules applied uniformly to all parties. Justice N. Sathish Kumar, citing the September 13 chaos in Tiruchi, asked, “If something untoward had happened, who would take responsibility? As party president, Vijay ought to control the crowds.” The court also sought details on compensation for damages and directed the Tamil Nadu government to frame state-wide guidelines, including provisions for deposits to cover losses, with a report due by September 24.
Vijay began his statewide tour in Tiruchi last Saturday, drawing massive turnouts that turned a routine 20-minute route into a six-hour crawl. After cancelling his Perambalur and Mayiladuthurai stops, he is slated to campaign in Nagapattinam and Tiruvarur tomorrow. His schedule runs through December, mostly on Saturdays.
Entering politics at the peak of his acting career, Vijay aims to emulate the electoral breakthroughs of C.N. Annadurai in 1967 and M.G. Ramachandran in 1977. However, the ruling DMK and opposition AIADMK maintain that crowd enthusiasm may not necessarily convert into votes.
