Campaigning in Madurantakam, Chief Minister Vijay raised questions over the “Veeramani issue”, saying a man accused of sexually abusing children for years had been arrested and jailed. He alleged that DMK and others had not spoken up on the matter, asking whether there was an understanding even in this case.
In the same speech, Vijay responded to criticism over his inspection of a bridge, rejecting claims that he was “shooting” on a bridge built by others. He argued that public works are funded by the state and questioned how leaders who themselves claim limited personal assets could portray such projects as their own.
Vijay said a chief minister is a servant of the people, not their “boss”, and accused political rivals of trying to destabilise his government through shortcuts. He also spoke about the state’s financial strain and defended borrowing as necessary to implement welfare commitments, saying loans were taken for public benefit, not for wrongdoing.
He cited measures such as free bus travel and his stance on the Parandur airport project—insisting Chennai, water bodies and farmers should not be affected—as reasons rivals were unsettled. He also claimed his government fulfilled a milk procurement price promise within three months, and criticised AIADMK for petitioning on milk price issues, saying such tactics would not work against him.
Referring to AIADMK’s legacy, Vijay said DMK had long been portrayed as an adversary by leaders like MGR and Jayalalithaa, and argued that any move to align with DMK would hurt MGR’s supporters. He claimed this sentiment was reflected in an MLA resigning and joining his party, and said he would stand with MGR’s cadre.
