Divya Sathyaraj, Deputy Secretary of the DMK’s IT Wing, hit TVK President Vijay with a blistering attack, casting doubt on his leadership depth and preparation for the 2026 Assembly elections. Mocking at the actor’s proclivity for prepared speeches and manifestos, Divya challenged directly: “Vijay sir, can you name just 10 of your party workers without looking at a piece of paper?”
The Medical Metaphor Critique
Divya employed a sharp medical metaphor in her speech to draw attention to what she sees as Vijay’s lack of political intuition. A leader who requires a manual to act on is like a doctor who has to consult a textbook to decide on how to administer an injection to a patient in pain, she said. “If I am told by a doctor that he needs to check his book to determine which needle to use, I would leave that clinic at once,” she said, implying that voters could potentially feel like she or he was also “unprepared” about a politician.
Accountability and Women’s Safety
The critique was not confined to memory games. Divya also addressed accountability with alarm after the tragic Karur stampede in late 2025 that claimed 41 lives. She wondered how the TVK leadership failed to speak out or take action when it mattered most. Furthermore, she claimed a lack of security and respect for women in the TVK ranks, citing recent resignations of female functionaries as examples of a “toxic” internal culture.
A Social Media Challenge
In an added layer of digital-age provocation, Divya challenged TVK workers to share photos with their leader on social media, to show that they were “closeness” and well known. This is viewed as a tactical move by the DMK to paint the TVK as a top-heavy entity where the leader is disconnected from the foot soldiers who propel the campaign.
