In what is viewed as his first step towards his political entry, actor Vijay made political statements during an event organised by All India Thalapathy Vijay Makkal Iyakkam, a fan club of the actor, to facilitate the toppers of Class 10, 12 board exams of each constituency in the state. During his speech. Vijay told the students to insist their parents to not cast a vote after getting money. He also told the toppers to read books and know about leaders to combat fake news in the information age.
Talking to the students, Vijay said, "You are the next generation of voters. You are the ones who are going to elect the next ruler. However, now the system is in such a way that the voter hurt their own eyes with their own fingers. For example, if a politician is spending Rs 15 crore for a constituency then imagine the money he would have earned in his previous term.”
"So, all students tell your parents that they shouldn’t get money and cast their votes. When this happens, only then education will be wholesome,” he said.
Actor Vijay started his speech with a dialogue from the movie ‘Asuran’ emphasising on education as an irreplaceable asset. Vijay started, "It was running in my mind to help with education and I think this is the right time. The teachers and professors have worked hard for this.”
"Wholesome education is not just going to educational institutions but what remains after formal education. So character and thinking capacity is what retains after education so that must be good," he said.
He quoted the famous line by Einstein 'Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school'.
Vijay said that students would now be stepping out of their homes without the monitoring of their parents so the students must enjoy their freedom by upholding self-discipline.
"Have fun in life. But don't lose your self-identity. Always recall yourself that our life is in our hand," he said.
Vijay also insisted students read a lot of books since there was a lot of fake news doing the rounds in the information era.
The actor said, “This is an era of information era. Some post fake news online, they have hidden agenda. So you must be able to identify that. For this, you should read more than just your books. Read about leaders including Ambedkar, Periyar and Kamarajar. Take good messages home, leave negativity."