Chennai, March 27:
Vijay, president of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam, on Friday accused the authorities of deliberately obstructing his election campaign in the Perambur Assembly constituency, terming the denial of permission as a “fascist attack on democracy.”
In a statement, Vijay said the party had applied for permission to hold a public meeting on Saturday at Mullai Nagar Junction in Perambur. However, a day ahead of the scheduled event, officials allegedly dug pits and erected barricades at the venue, raising questions over the timing of such actions.
According to him, the police later inspected the site and expressed concerns over crowd management, stating that the location would not be able to accommodate a gathering of around 3,000 people. Based on this assessment, permission for the meeting was denied, citing the unsuitability of the venue.
Vijay criticised the move, alleging that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam government was using administrative machinery to suppress opposition voices. He claimed that similar hurdles had been placed whenever his party attempted to organise campaign events.
“Repeated delays and denials give the impression that certain officials are acting in favour of the ruling party,” he said, accusing the government of attempting to curb the democratic rights of a rising political force.
Calling the development a sign of “authoritarian functioning,” Vijay asserted that such actions reflected fear of his party’s growing support base. He added that the people of Tamil Nadu would respond to what he described as anti-democratic practices in the upcoming elections.