In maiden Independence Day speech, Vijay calls for ‘zero tolerance towards corruption’

In his maiden Independence Day address as Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, C Joseph Vijay on Saturday placed the fight against corruption at the centre of his government’s political project, likening the effort to rid the state of bribery and corruption to “a great liberation” and calling on citizens to develop “zero tolerance” towards graft.

Speaking after hoisting the national flag at the 386-year-old Fort St George, Vijay also sought to bind voters to his government beyond the election, telling them that their responsibility had not ended with putting him in the office.

“Don’t step aside thinking, ‘All of us have cast our votes, we have made our elder brother, our younger brother, our son win and made him Chief Minister, so our duty is over,’” Vijay said. “It is from now on that you have to remain right by our side.” Declaring that “the people are the rulers” and that he and others in government were “servants of the people,” Vijay called on supporters to help “defeat both the forces working against our government and the conspiracies against it.” The speech, delivered three months into the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) government’s tenure in the state, repeatedly returned to the topic of corruption, which Vijay termed an administrative challenge, and the larger idea of freedom.

“Saving our Tamil Nadu from bribery and corruption is also something equivalent to a great liberation,” he said. Vijay said his government would cooperate administratively with the Union government on matters of public welfare while opposing decisions that infringed on Tamil Nadu’s interests or State rights.

He also signalled continuity with popular programmes of previous governments, citing the Amma Unavagam scheme introduced by former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa and announcing that the breakfast scheme would be expanded to cover students till Class 8 from September 17 — Periyar’s birth anniversary.

Listing his government’s early measures, Vijay said Rs 5,932.23 crore in crop loans had been waived, 717 TASMAC liquor outlets closed and 300 new buses introduced. He said government offices and police stations had been instructed to function as service centres where citizens were treated “with kindness and affection” and were not made to run from one place to the other.

Among new announcements, marriage assistance sum for two daughters of ex-servicemen will increase from Rs 25,000 to Rs 50,000 while monthly assistance for disabled ex-servicemen and their dependents will increase from Rs 5,000 to Rs 7,000.

Freedom fighters’ monthly pension will rise to Rs 23,000 and their family pension to Rs 12,500. Vijay also set an economic ambition — making Tamil Nadu a 1.5-trillion USD economy by 2036. He ended the speech with some of his most popular words, which helped carry him from cinema into politics: “Be confident.

Only good things will happen. Victory is certain!” Arun Janardhanan is an experienced and authoritative Tamil Nadu correspondent for The Indian Express. Based in the state, his reporting combines ground-level access with long-form clarity, offering readers a nuanced understanding of South India’s political, judicial, and cultural life - work that reflects both depth of expertise and sustained authority.

Expertise Geographic Focus: As Tamil Nadu Correspondent focused on politics, crime, faith and disputes, Janardhanan has been also reporting extensively on Sri Lanka, producing a decade-long body of work on its elections, governance, and the aftermath of the Easter Sunday bombings through detailed stories and interviews.

Key Coverage Areas: State Politics and Governance: Close reporting on the DMK and AIADMK, the emergence of new political actors such as actor Vijay’s TVK, internal party churn, Centre–State tensions, and the role of the Governor.

Legal and Judicial Affairs: Consistent coverage of the Madras High Court, including religion-linked disputes and cases involving state authority and civil liberties. Investigations: Deep-dive series on landmark cases and unresolved questions, including the Tirupati encounter and the Rajiv Gandhi assassination, alongside multiple investigative series from Tamil Nadu.

Culture, Society, and Crisis: Reporting on cultural organisations, language debates, and disaster coverage—from cyclones to prolonged monsoon emergencies—anchored in on-the-ground detail. His reporting has been recognised with the Ramnath Goenka Award for Excellence in Journalism.

Beyond journalism, Janardhanan is also a screenwriter; his Malayalam feature film Aarkkariyam was released in 2021. ... Read More