Tamil Nadu’s ruling DMK has claimed that actor-politician Vijay’s new party, Tamizhaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK), has borrowed heavily from its ideological stance. Meanwhile, the main opposition AIADMK critiqued TVK’s ideology as a “cocktail” of various political stances, and Naam Tamizhar Katchi (NTK), a Tamil nationalist party, ruled out any possibility of joining forces with TVK.

At TVK’s inaugural event, Vijay made pointed critiques against the DMK and its leadership, but DMK leader T.K.S. Elangovan responded by emphasising the party’s resilience and historical grounding. “We have seen many rivals in our long innings and will continue to be strong,” he stated. Commenting on TVK’s ideological focus, particularly its stance against the Governor’s office, Elangovan remarked, “These are all our policies; he is copying…whatever he says is what we had already said and which we are following.”

Reflecting on DMK’s 75-year journey, Elangovan highlighted the party’s strong commitment to public service. “DMK leaders went to jail fighting for people’s cause and though the party had lost several elections, it continued to be strong,” he said. He also questioned if TVK would show the same resolve, stating, “That is the difference between DMK and other parties…we are strong, we work for the people, we are for the people.”

AIADMK spokesperson Kovai Sathyan congratulated Vijay on his political entry but suggested his ideology lacks originality. “TVK’s ideology is a mix of ideology of all parties and old wine in a new bottle…a cocktail ideology taken from all political parties in Tamil Nadu,” Sathyan stated. On Vijay’s support for a caste census, he added, “We will give time to him to put this in action.”

BJP leader H. Raja asserted that TVK’s entry might only split Dravidian votes and potentially weaken the DMK. “I hope Mr. Vijay would help me by speaking on Dravidian stock (ideology) and divide those votes,” he commented. Tamilisai Soundararajan of the BJP welcomed TVK’s debut, suggesting it may become a challenger to DMK’s Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin.

NTK leader Seeman, who adheres to Tamil nationalist principles, clearly rejected any association with TVK, pointing out ideological differences. Critiquing TVK’s position, he said, “You (TVK) accept EVR Periyar and thereby Dravidam (Dravidian ideology) and they say Dravidian model (DMK's tagline for its style of governance).” However, he emphasised NTK’s opposition to the Dravidian ideology, questioning, “What is this model for Tamil Nadu?” When asked about potential alliances with TVK, Seeman maintained NTK’s independence, saying, “I have said that I will fight on my own.” He further suggested that TVK’s ideological position may lack depth, pointing to discrepancies in its stance on rationalism.