After Ponmudy, DMK's Panneerselvam’s jab at Vijay faces backlash

DMK Minister MRK Panneerselvam’s ridiculing speech on TVK chief and film star Vijay on Sunday (April 28) in which he questioned his source of income and dragged his alleged personal life, has faced huge backlash online from TVK cadres.

The minister, during his speech, questioned the policy and meaning of the political party named TVK and praised cadres who made a crude joke on the actor-politician and his co-stars.

Also Read: Senthil Balaji, Ponmudy quit as TN ministers amid legal, political pressure

Trolled by TVK cadres

Panneerselvam’s speech, which comes days after the DMK senior leader Ponmudy's derogatory speech on women, has become a subject of intense trolling across social media platforms.

TVK cadres latched onto the speech questioning how DMK ministers, who have been raided by the ED and CBI, could accuse Vijay, who promises a corruption-free government. Taking potshots at the DMK leadership, the TVK cadres asked why they don’t teach their ministers to deliver a speech in public without dragging personal details.

Also Read : Madras HC asks TN govt to file response to PIL seeking Ponmudy’s removal by June 5

Didn't directly mention Vijay

However, while speaking at the DMK youth wing meeting in Cuddalore, Minister Panneerselvam did not mention Vijay’s name but continued to make many indirect references, asking the crowd to answer his questions.

The the minister asked, “Now this company claims they will capture the government. Do they think running a state is like acting in a cinema?” the crowd laughed and waved their hands saying “no”.

The DMK minister’s satirical comments come after Vijay, at TVK’s first general body meeting on March 28, declared that the 2026 Assembly election would be a direct battle between TVK and the DMK.

"Honorable Muthuvel Karunanidhi Stalin, it’s not enough to have bravery in your name. You should also show it in your work,” said Vijay. He also said, 'The DMK government is no less than a fascist government.”

Also Read: 3 DMK ministers face judicial heat over corruption, misconduct, hate speech

Commentators slam Panneerselvam

Asked about DMK Minister Panneerselvam’s remarks on Vijay, political commentator R. Rangaraj said, “The minister could have avoided making references to personal details. The rest of his speech was in a lighter vein. Any new political leader would promise a corruption-free government. So, the reaction from the DMK minister is very normal, but personal references should be avoided in public meetings.”

Another critic, Sumant Raman, posted on his X handle that DMK leaders could no longer escape scrutiny as social media now exposes them.

“They cannot speak without putting their foot in their mouth? They have been speaking like this for 50 years. Before social media, they got away with it. Now they cannot escape,” he said in his post.

When The Federal sought DMK's response, spokesperson A Saravanan declined to comment.