Vijay meets Stalin day after oath, courtesy call signals new political chapter in Tamil Nadu

The meeting, described as a courtesy call, took place at Stalin’s residence in Chennai’s Alwarpet area. Stalin and his son, Udhayanidhi Stalin, welcomed Vijay at the residence.

Though the agenda of the meeting was not disclosed, visuals shared with the media showed Vijay, dressed in a black suit, greeting Stalin with folded hands.

Stalin returned the gesture warmly, and the two leaders were also seen shaking hands and embracing.

The meeting marked the first direct interaction between the two leaders since Vijay’s dramatic rise to power.

Fragile majority, complex government formation

Vijay’s government was formed with support from the Indian National Congress and several smaller allies, helping him cross the majority mark in a tightly contested assembly verdict.

Following the results declared on May 4, Tamil Nadu witnessed intense political speculation, with multiple alliance possibilities emerging.

There were even discussions that the DMK and AIADMK could explore a tactical arrangement to keep Vijay out of office.

Stalin’s sharp advice to successor

Soon after the swearing-in ceremony, Stalin publicly congratulated Vijay but also issued pointed advice on governance and finances.

He urged the new Chief Minister not to blame the previous government for the state's fiscal condition and instead focus on fulfilling promises made to voters.

“Don’t start saying right away that the government has no money. It does have it. What’s needed is the will to give it to the people, and the ability to govern.”

Stalin also defended his government’s record, saying welfare measures continued despite crises such as COVID, floods, and what he called neglect by the Union government.

Vijay promises ‘real social justice’

During his oath speech, Vijay described himself as a “common man” and pledged transparent, accountable governance.

He promised an era of “real, secular, social justice” and asked the people for reasonable time to judge his performance.

In one of the strongest lines of his speech, Vijay declared: “There will be no power centre other than me. I will be the only centre of power.”

The remark was seen as a signal that he intends to run the government directly without parallel influence centres.

Wealth declaration and white paper hint

According to his election affidavit, Vijay declared a net worth of ₹624 crore, including ₹213 crore in savings accounts and ₹100 crore in fixed deposits.

He also indicated that his government may release a white paper on Tamil Nadu’s finances to present a transparent picture of the state’s economic position.

The meeting between Vijay and Stalin may have been ceremonial, but it underscored the changing power equation in Tamil Nadu — where a film superstar has now stepped into the state’s top political office, promising to rewrite old rules.