A growing revolt has erupted within Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) as party cadres are demanding the removal of Bussy Anand, the party’s General Secretary. Once considered the organisational backbone of TVK, Anand is now being widely criticized for alleged arrogance, inaccessibility, and an inability to manage crises — especially following the Karur stampede. The backlash began pouring in when social media petitions and open letters from “virtual warriors” and ground workers started lionizing the move for organisational restructuring. Many accused Anand of going underground during TVK’s most severe challenge, leaving cadres directionless when leadership was most needed. One cadre said: “Leadership disappeared, and we were forced to defend the party ourselves.” During a public virtual session themed “TVK Reality Check,” speakers criticized Anand’s style of appointing sycophants over people with grassroots experience. Critics point to photos of Anand with district secretaries posted after the Supreme Court granted interim relief transferring the Karur case to CBI, calling it tone-deaf in context of the tragedy. Many interpreted it as projecting power while ignoring responsibility. The petitions demand decentralization of authority, redistribution of responsibilities, and a core decision-making team combining experienced and younger functionaries—rather than a single, centralized power center. Some even urge Vijay, the party chief, to either remove or significantly curtail Anand’s role. “The strength of a movement is when it runs smoothly even when its leader is not present,” read one open letter. Adding fuel to the fire, images surfaced online showing Karur district and functionary leaders, previously arrested in the stampede case, in submissive gestures toward Anand at the TVK office. That triggered the viral hashtag #KiciOutBussyAnand across social media channels.
The internal revolt highlights cracks in TVK’s structural resilience. While Vijay has remained mostly silent publicly, internal turmoil may test the party’s cohesion ahead of upcoming key political challenges.