Stalin ratcheted up the pressure on Vijay in Thanjavur, where he put it bluntly: the TVK chief made it to the top by “influencing children through Instagram.” He even went so far as to say the party is so disorganised they can’t be bothered to put booth agents in place properly. For Stalin, the DMK’s years of building a cadre network are a world apart from the TVK’s lack of a mass base.
He was also quick to dismiss some of the fresh schemes the TVK has put forward as little more than a rehash of what was already in motion under his watch.
Law and order sets the early tone
To make his point about the state of law and order, Stalin held up two recent cases: the slaying of a young man in Thoothukudi after a drinking row, and the murder of some part-time singers in Padappai. “You can feel the fear among people,” he said, noting that such things have become more common since the change in power. He wondered if the kind of hand-tied police force that was a talking point during the DMK’s five years is still in effect.
Opposition’s demand to prioritise safety
The message to the TVK is to do more than just mete out punishment; they need to be on top of preventing crime in the first place. “It is the CM’s job to see to it that lives and property are safe,” Stalin said.
Here is how he framed his ask to the ruling side:
– Ensure swift action against perpetrators
– Prevent crimes through stronger policing
– Reassure citizens on safety and order
A decisive election and shifting alliances
All of this comes in the wake of a very different political landscape. After the 2026 assembly elections left the DMK with 59 seats and the TVK with 108 (with a coalition of the Congress, CPI, CPM, VCK and IUML), the tables have turned.
Stalin has tried to put a constructive face on the opposition. In a post on X, he told his side not to cause trouble. “Let them rule. But if they start slandering us to hide their own shortcomings, we will set the record straight.”
Fiscal argument intensifies
Vijay, for his part, has been on the offensive since day one. He has levelled the charge that the old guard bled the exchequer, pointing to a debt of Rs 10 lakh crore and vowing to put out a White Paper on the matter.
Stalin would have none of it. “A new government should not come in and tell you there is no money,” he retorted. If you have the will to run the show, you can find the resources.
DMK’s review and revival plan
In the meantime, he has set in motion a post-mortem on the loss. A 38-man panel has been put together to go over every one of the 234 constituencies. The directive is to hear from the workers on the ground and have a report on his desk by June 5, with some house-cleaning to follow.
He has been making himself seen, too, meeting with cadres in Thanjavur and Tiruchirappalli and even at a family wedding. “I know how you feel,” he told his base on X.
What to watch next
So you have a star in the driver’s seat and a veteran in the stands, and the tussle is down to two things: keeping the peace and the bottom line. How the TVK handles its early days, and what the DMK does with its reforms, will tell us if this is going to be a time of steady governance or something else.
