Former advisor of the late APJ Abdul Kalam and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) supporter Ponraj Vellaichamy sparked a huge row on social media for his derogatory remarks referring to female cadres of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) as ‘prostitutes.’ Several members of TVK have publicly slammed the comments made by Ponraj after the comments surfaced on social media. Actor-turned-politician and TVK chief Vijay has now reacted to the comments, slamming Ponraj and the DMK government for shielding him.
What Vijay said
Taking to his X account, Vijay wrote a strongly worded statement in Tamil, which roughly translates to: “A mercenary individual, functioning as a supporter of the DMK with words that fall short of honoring and praising my mother, sister, and younger sisters—who are truly worthy of the pride and reverence of this land—has resorted to criticism that has spilled from their mouth. On behalf of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam, I condemn in the strongest terms the opportunistic gamblers who operate under the embrace and support of the DMK leadership. I also strongly condemn the DMK government for taking no action whatsoever against such persons.”
He continued, “Thinking to provoke the T.V.K., this act—which insults all women collectively—will ensure, by the unanimous decision of the mother clan in the upcoming election, that the evil force DMK is firmly, firmly, firmly destined to swallow the land.”
What caused the outrage?
Ponraj, who maintains a pro-DMK stance, stated in an interview: “Tamil Nadu is an intellectual state—a state that excels in literacy rates and educational standards. We must thank Vijay for exposing the fact that, even in such a state, there exists a mob of ignoramuses. It is an unruly, uncultured mob of ignoramuses. It is a mob of prostitutes—women who declare, ‘I do not need a husband; I only want Vijay.’ We must commend Vijay for revealing to the world the existence of this mob of ignoramuses—a fan base teeming with prostitutes—who claim they will be whatever he desires: a younger sister, an elder sister, or even a wife.”
Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) general secretary Aadhav Arjuna also slammed the remarks made by Ponraj, and said, “Even if one were to claim that he is a great man who worked in a position of great responsibility, it appears that Ponraj has consistently acted without even a shred of basic morality or essential human dignity after later turning into a DMK supporter.”
Vijay will contest the upcoming Tamil Nadu Assembly elections. He had earlier declared that the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections would be a direct contest between “pure force TVK and evil force DMK.” Positioning TVK as the true representative of the people, Vijay had also said, “The competition is between the Tamil Nadu people and Stalin sir. Vijay and people are like blood and flesh; no one can separate them.”
