In his first Independence Day speech as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, C. Joseph Vijay gave a special shoutout to Gen Z, greeting them with ‘Vanakkam’, as he arrived at the Secretariat to hoist the tricolour
on the occasion of the 80th Independence Day.
“To all my Tamil relatives across the world, Gen Z friends, my Vanakkam to all”, said CM Vijay, an actor-turned-politician who is also the chief of Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK).
His remarks unfolded against the backdrop of a massive Gen Z protest in New Delhi over the paper leak controversy linked to the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance (NEET-UG) 2026 as well as his government’s push to ban the competitive exam.
VIDEO | Chennai: TN CM Vijay arrives at Secretariat for Independence Day event.
(Full video available on PTI Videos – https://t.co/d8jp61yd2p) pic.twitter.com/CC4jmi1CwS
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) August 15, 2026
Vijay’s parents –– S. A. Chandrasekhar and Shoba Chandrasekhar –– along with actress Trisha Krishnan were also present at the event.
“People start feeling united once they realize they have been kept like slaves. That’s when shackles like religion, caste break. This is real freedom. This is what happened under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi”, said the Chief Minister.
Vijay underlined his Government’s resolve to free Tamil Nadu from corruption. “Rescuing TN from corruption is also a form of freedom and that is what our Government is doing”.
Speaking about welfare schemes that were initiated by the previous governments in the state, he said: “We are continuing the old schemes of past governments that were useful for people. Some include Amma Unavagam (Amma canteens) by the AIADMK, Breakfast scheme for school children (DMK)”.
“Will make Tamil Nadu a 1.5 trillion dollar economy by 2036”, said CM Vijay.
Reiterating the Government’s commitment to eradicate corruption from Tamil Nadu, he said: “We are on a mission to eradicate corruption. I appeal to our officials to make our state corruption-free”.
With anti-corruption the principal agenda of his governance, CM Vijay had previously announced a series of measures aimed at strengthening transparency and accountability
The Chief Minister thanked the people of the state for giving an overwhelming mandate to the TVK in the Tamil Nadu Assembly election 2026. “I salute the people of Tamil Nadu who have broken caste, religion, money, who have given us an overwhelming support”, he said.
