Trichy: Ahead of Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam’s much-awaited Marakkadai campaign on September 13, the Trichy city police have cleared the event but with a staggering list of 23 restrictions that many see as an attempt to clip Vijay’s rising political momentum.
The police have allowed Vijay to address the public for just 25 minutes from 10.35 am to 11 am sharp an unusually short window for a people’s campaign. TVK had requested a roadshow to meet supporters along the way, but the police flatly denied the request, confining Vijay’s movement to a pre-decided travel route with only five vehicles permitted to follow him.
The restrictions go as far as advising pregnant women, children, the elderly, and disabled citizens not to attend, while prohibiting even basic expressions of enthusiasm—no firecrackers, no music bands, no sticks, no climbing on terraces or trees. The conditions make it clear that the police will not tolerate any large-scale show of public passion.
TVK has been forced to take responsibility for parking, traffic management, medical facilities, ambulance, drinking water, fire safety, and even crowd control tasks usually handled by the administration itself. Any slip could invite legal action, including a complete halt to the meeting.
For a leader who is drawing massive crowds wherever he goes, such restrictions appear less about safety and more about deliberately throttling the scale of his campaign. Yet, in the face of these limitations, Vijay’s team has agreed to proceed, showing that TVK will not be intimidated.
By bowing to the conditions and still going ahead, Vijay is sending a clear message: no amount of restrictions can silence the voice of the people rallying behind him.