Fact Check: TVK allying with BJP in TN? No, picture of Vijay standing with Annamalai has been edited

Tamil actor Vijay officially floated Tamilaga Vetrikalagam (TVK) on October 11, 2024, at a grand rally in Tamil Nadu's Villupuram district. He outlined the party's policies and addressed his stance on political adversaries and corruption. Vijay emphasized the party's position by criticizing both the ruling DMK and the BJP. "Don't label us with any colour," he said.

Later a flurry of rumours about the Tamilaga Vetrikalagam (TVK) started circulating on social media platforms. One such claim states, “The BJP is backing actor Vijay, who has now turned into its full-fledged agent. The BJP’s secret plan to join forces with AIADMK, PMK, Tamilaga Vetrikalagam, Naam Tamilar, DMDK, and other parties to oppose the DMK has been exposed. Actor Vijay allegedly held a secret meeting with BJP leader Annamalai in London to plot elimination of Dravidianism.” (Archive)

A video published by the YouTube channel `My India 24x7’ has gone viral on social media, further fueling these speculations. The video includes a photo of Tamilaga Vetrikalagam President Vijay and General Secretary Bussy Anand standing alongside BJP President Annamalai.

Fact Check

NewsMeter found the claim to be false. The viral photo has been edited. Also, the claim that TVK is planning to ally with the BJP is false.

We conducted a keyword search on Google, which led us to an official statement from TVK’s General Secretary, Bussy Anand. Approved by party President Vijay, the statement was posted on X on November 18. It categorically denied rumours of any alliance with the AIADMK.

In the statement, Bussy Anand clarified, “The news about an alliance with AIADMK is completely false.” He emphasized that the claims lack factual basis and provided a detailed rebuttal. (Archive)

Subsequently, we searched whether there were any credible reports about an alliance between TVK and the BJP. However, no such news has been published.

To verify the authenticity of the viral photo showing actor Vijay and Bussy Anand standing alongside BJP leader Annamalai, we conducted a reverse image search, which led us to reports from The Times of India and Zee News dated February 2, 2022. These reports featured photos of Puducherry Chief Minister Rangasamy visiting actor Vijay at his residence in Panayur during the run-up to Tamil Nadu’s urban local body elections. A comparison of the images confirmed that the viral photo had been digitally altered.

Hence, we conclude that the viral claim suggesting Tamilaga Vetrikalagam (TVK) is allying with the BJP is false. Also, the viral photo alleging a secret meeting between Vijay, Bussy Anand, and Annamalai in London has been digitally edited.