Puducherry

Actor-turned-politician Vijay on Saturday took aim at both major political alliances in Puducherry, describing the DMK-Congress combine as “confused” and the NR Congress-BJP alliance as “exhausted”.

Addressing a rally ahead of the April 9 elections, the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam chief criticised national parties for failing to grant full statehood to Puducherry despite being in power at the Centre over the years.

Urging voters to back his party, Vijay called for support for the “whistle” symbol, invoking a “one-finger revolution” — a reference to a popular dialogue from one of his films.

He promised that a TVK-led government would make every effort to secure full statehood through legal means, free from interference by the Lieutenant Governor.

Highlighting his party’s agenda, Vijay said local body elections would be held within six months if voted to power. He also announced welfare measures, including ₹25 lakh health insurance for every family and 200 units of free electricity for economically weaker sections.

In the education sector, he proposed setting up a Puducherry University of Applied Sciences and Arts.

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Reiterating his commitment to development, Vijay appealed to voters to give his party a chance to deliver transparent and people-centric governance.