'Thalapathy' Vijay was at his rhetorical best at the first state conference of the Tamil superstars political party Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK). People started pouring into the venue on Saturday evening, triggering traffic chaos on the roads leading to the venue.
A spirited Vijay addressed the Vikravandi crowd, living up to the hype. He named the objectives of his party, the reason behind his political innings and the sects he considered as his rivals. Vijay took an apparent dig at the DMK and its first family, saying its leaders were calling the "anti-people government as Dravida model government." He also addressed his critcs who used the term 'koothadi' to demean him after affirming that TVK was based on secular social justice ideologies which consider leaders like EVR Periyar and K Kamaraj as its guiding lights.
Here are five notable quotes by 'Thalapathy' Vijay from his Vikravandi conference that kickstarted a new chapter in Tamil Nadu's political landscape:
1. "Some say Vijay doesn't take anyone's name because he is scared. I am not taking names because I am not here to throw dirt on anyone. I am not scared. That's not our politics - ours is a decent approach, decent attack, but we will go deep with our work."
2. "There is a group that has been creating divisions among the society. The ones who are creating divisions are our first enemy. The ones who are claiming Dravidian ideology, but are looting Tamil Nadu as a family are our next rivals..."
3. "I am not the only one who was called 'koothadi'. Even MGR and NTR were called so.. Movies are not just dance and songs. It is a tool for social change. Isn't that how the DMK grew?..."'Koothadi' is not a slur or an insult. 'Koothu' will speak values, politics, truth..."
4. "What can we achieve by accumulating wealth? How can we give it back to the people who gave us everything? The answer to that was politics... Now that we are here, there is no scope for rethinking. We will know our rivals soon; they announced themselves when we made our decision to float the party..."
5. "I am not worried because the results of my hard work rest in the tips of your fingers. At the peak of my career, I am taking this risk because I trust in the people of Tamil Nadu..."