How Tamil Nadu separated religion and caste from politics

Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam chief C. Joseph Vijay signs documents as he takes charge as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu at the Secretariat in Chennai on May 10, 2026. Photo credit: PTI

C. Joseph Vijay, actor and founder of the recently established Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), took over as the new Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu last month. One cannot help but remember how MG Ramachandran or more popularly known as MGR, also a very successful actor, took over as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu in 1977 and won two more consecutive terms until his death in 1987. He was the first actor to become the CM of India.

But apart from being successful film stars, MGR, a Hindu from the Nair community of Kerala, and Mr. Vijay, a Tamil Christian, have little in common. MGR’s best-known representative and successor, Jayalalithaa, who ruled the state for 16 years, was a Tamil Brahmin. Moreover, CN Annadurai, the first non-Congress CM of the state, his successor M. Karunanidhi and his son MK Stalin were/are non-Brahmin Hindus.

Published – 16 Jun 2026 0:48 IST