By S. I. Keethaponcalan –

Tamil superstar Joseph Vijay’s ascendancy to power, to say the least. was impressive. The Indian state of Tamil Nadu has often elected people from the movie industry to rule it. Chief ministers Annadurai and Karunanidhi had roots in the movie industry. M.G.Ramachandran and Jayalalitha were, of course, superstars of the industry. Many actors in the recent past, including Sivaji Ganesan and Kamal Hasan, failed to make an impact despite forming and leading political parties. Vijay, on the other hand, formed his party, the Thamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK), in 2024 and won the assembly election in May 2026.

Despite failing to win a clear majority of 118 seats in the state assembly, he became Chief Minister. As a minority government, Vijay’s administration has been making political moves that do not conform to the spirit of democracy. For example, Vijay influenced several members of the legislative assembly (MLAs) from other parties, especially the Anna Diravida Munnetra Kazhagam (ADMK), to resign their posts within one month of the election in the hope that his party could win the by-election. However, my concern in this article is not his anti-democratic political maneuvers, but the constant abuse of children. If no intervention is made immediately, the abuse seems likely to continue and worsen. As an ethnic Tamil, I have an interest in Tamil Nadu’s politics and social issues, and this essay is written as a form of intervention.

Top Down

The abuse starts with the chief minister himself. For example, on September 27, 2025, Vijay’s election campaign in Karur resulted in a stampede killing 41 people. The 41 dead people included ten children (five girls and five boys), with the youngest killed being a two-year-old child. Vijay never visited the last rites of the children and never took responsibility for the incident, except to say that the victims were his fans. First, Vijay claimed that the incumbent Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) government in 2025 was responsible for the stampede. Last week, he claimed that the Karur police instigated the deaths as part of a larger conspiracy to politically trap him before the election.

In one of the most condemnable moves, Vijay used Tamil Nadu children as foot soldiers for his election campaign. On the eve of the election, Vijay asked his child fans to influence or even force their parents and grandparents to vote for Vijay mama (Vijay uncle). He said nanba and nanbies (friends), “For the sake of this Vijay mama, pester your parents to vote for me. Just as you pester them for chocolate.” He asked his little friends to cry or throw a tantrum if they refused. The Hindu newspaper on April 21, 2026, reported the move as follows: Vijay “appealed to children in every family to pester their parents and relatives to vote for TVK.” The move outraged child rights groups, and some of them have complained to the Indian Election Commission. A case has also been filed in the Chennai High Court.

Since winning the election, schools have become a particular target for recruitment. Tamil Nadu political analysts believe that this is part of a larger scheme to ready the next generation of voters. Hence, Tamil Nadu schools have currently been politicized to the detriment of the children’s welfare. Last week, Vijay finally went to Karur to address the victims of the stampede at a public rally. Reportedly, his speech was telecast live in some schools during school hours. It is important to note that children have the right to an education free from political interference. The live telecast is especially concerning given Vijay’s tendency to use unparliamentary language in public.

Ministerial Abuse

Since the leadership does not show any concern for the misuse of children, Vijay’s ministers engage in activities that violate children’s rights at multiple levels. For example, Higher Education Minister P. Viswanath’s actions in a high school in Madurai outraged many citizens of the state. First, he danced to a Vijay beat song whose lyrics said “vadi vadi vadi, en kai padatha CD.” The lines could be roughly translated as follows: “Come, my lady. Come, my lady. Come, my lady. My untouched compact disc.” Second, a now-viral video showed him allegedly touching the legs and feet of minor girls who participated in a school-organized marathon. India’s TimesNow reported the incident as follows: “A major controversy has erupted in Tamil Nadu after a viral video showed Higher Education Minister P. Viswanathan massaging the legs of schoolgirl marathon participants went viral. The footage has sparked political outrage, with opposition parties questioning the minister’s conduct and demanding accountability.” According to several news reports, DMK lawyer Saranya Natarajan claimed that Viswanathan’s action was a “deliberate, uninvited, and inappropriate” physical contact (The Hindu, June 25, 2026). Concerned people claimed that the minister failed the good-touch-bad-touch test. Minister Viswanathan has refuted the allegations.

Another video of the Commerce Minister Keerthana went viral after she mocked a little girl at a school for not answering questions in English. The video showed that she was arrogant and imposing and did not appreciate or encourage the little girl’s correct answers. My personal assessment is that the incident would have made a devastating psychological impact on the little girl due to Keerthana’s mocking. The Tamil meme factory went into war mode, mocking Keerthana’s apparently not-so-perfect English. When an old video of Human Resource Minister Sarath crushing a powder-like substance on a mobile phone with a credit card went viral, instead of defending his innocence on his own, he hid behind his little daughter and wife, saying the powder-like substance was medicine for his daughter. He used his daughter as a human shield in a video exposing her identity. In one of the most naïve statements, Tamil Nadu Sports Minister Adhav Arjuna told school students, “If you study (pursue education), you will get a (monthly) salary. If you become number one in sports, you’ll become a billionaire. Do you want to be a billionaire, a millionaire, or work for a salary?” This was an indirect assault on education.

Why?

These incidents demonstrate that currently in Tamil Nadu, children and their rights are constantly being abused by the government itself. The question is, why? Using children as a political tool is obviously about selfish political motives. Vijay acted selfishly when he urged his little friends and fans to pester their parents to vote for him. Selfishness seems to have played a role in some of the other incidents. Keerthana seemed motivated to produce a viral video when she apparently mocked the little girl. It is important to note that Vijay’s party heavily relied on social media, or what could be termed the “reels” universe, for the election campaign. The election results indicate that the strategy worked. They are continuing with their strategies even after the election. However, it is also possible that some of these abuses are influenced by a lack of awareness. Awareness about child rights and their welfare. If this is the case, the Vijay government needs substantial education on this subject. The Tamil Nadu judiciary and the civil society have a special responsibility in this regard.

*Dr. S. I. Keethaponcalan is a Professor of Conflict Resolution at Salisbury University, Maryland. He was formerly a Professor of Political Science at the University of Colombo, Sri Lanka