Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK) chief and actor-politician Vijay is set to release a book on India’s first law minister B.R. Ambedkar, a month after launching his political outfit, on Friday. Titled Ambedkar: Leader for All, the book, published by a Tamil media house, has drawn significant attention, particularly due to political controversies surrounding the event.
Initially, the book launch was planned to be launchedThol Thirumavalavan, leader of the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) and a key ally of the DMK-Congress coalition. However, after an invite to Vijay, Thirumavalavan opted out.
The decision of Thol Thirumavalavan comes amid controveries surrounding VCK. All the more, Vijay during TVK's first state conference on October 27, mentioned the DMK as his "political enemy", an ally of VCK.
Morever, political observers also view Vijay’s move to adopt Ambedkar as a strategic attempt to woo Dalit voters, a key demographic that contributed significantly to the DMK-VCK alliance's previous electoral success, as reported by Deccan Herald. Vijay’s call for power-sharing in governance also indirectly addressed the longstanding demands of the VCK within the DMK alliance.
Thirumavalavan clarified his stance, stating, "There is no contradiction between me and Vijay. I withdrew from the event to avoid unnecessary political confusion created by opponents."
He cited potential political misinterpretations that could arise from sharing the dais with Vijay.
“Political opponents are trying to use me as a tool to shift the dynamics in Tamil Nadu’s political arena. I cannot allow that,” he said.
Earlier, VCK faced many other controversies. Its recent invitation to AIADMK for an anti-liquor conference raised eyebrows within the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance (SPA). Despite this, Thirumavalavan reaffirmed the VCK’s commitment to the SPA, announcing that the party would contest the 2026 assembly elections as part of the coalition.