The Tamil Nadu government has responded to actor-politician Vijay’s recent campaign speech in Nagapattinam, saying that some of his statements were incorrect. The state’s information verification unit released a clarification list addressing the issues he raised.
Vijay had said that the government had not taken action to protect coastal forests. The government countered this, saying the area of coastal mangrove forests in Tamil Nadu had in fact doubled from 45 square kilometres in 2021 to 90 square kilometres now. It also pointed out that in Nagapattinam district there are 586 hectares of mangrove forests, and in Mayiladuthurai district there are 521 hectares.
Vijay also claimed that there was no fisheries college in Nagapattinam. The government clarified that Dr. J. J. Jayalalithaa Fisheries University is already functioning in the district.
On his complaint that the government imposed restrictions on his public meetings, the state explained that similar police conditions are placed for other leaders too. For instance, during the Prime Minister’s visit to Chennai in April this year, as many as 20 conditions were set for his procession.
The government said such clarifications are necessary to prevent misinformation and urged political leaders to check facts before making public statements.