From MGR to Vijay, the Sri Lankan Tamil issue shapes Tamil Nadu politics. Will the new Chief Minister revive old conflicts and challenge President Anura Dissanayake?
The Sri Lankan Tamil issue continues to shape Tamil Nadu’s political narrative, raising tensions across borders and reviving old conflicts in new political forms. From MGR to Vijay, the question now is whether Vijay will reignite the Sri Lankan Tamil issue just as MGR once did decades ago.
Born in Sri Lanka, M.G. Ramachandran (MGR) became one of Tamil Nadu’s most popular actors and changed Sri Lanka’s history in ways few could have imagined. When he won the 1977 Tamil Nadu state election for the first time and became Chief Minister, no one expected that his rise would have such a profound impact on Sri Lanka.
As Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, it was MGR who took the grievances of Sri Lankan Tamils to the Indian central government and secured Indian protection for Tamil militant groups in Sri Lanka. After the Eelam war began, MGR came to be known as Prabhakaran’s godfather. He gave Velupillai Prabhakaran shelter in Tamil Nadu and helped strengthen him both politically and militarily.
Now, after MGR, another superstar is poised to win the Tamil Nadu state election and rise to the post of Chief Minister. That man is Vijay. The parallels between the two actors turned politicians are impossible to ignore, and Sri Lanka is watching closely.
MGR was born in Sri Lanka. Vijay’s wife, Sangeetha, was born in northern Sri Lanka before moving to Britain because of the war. Vijay met her in London. Her background and her family’s connection to Sri Lanka may have influenced Vijay’s attention toward the Sri Lankan Tamil issue.
At a critical moment during the war, Vijay even took part in a one day fast and made strong statements in support of Tamils. He declared, “Let freedom dawn for Eelam Tamils. This plea extends beyond just my fans; it is an earnest appeal to anyone who carries the essence of Tamil identity within them.” He went on to say, “We are tiger cubs.”
In September last year, he said that LTTE leader Prabhakaran had shown the love of a mother to the Tamil people. He stated, “At the same time, the Eelam Tamils, whom we consider our umbilical cord kin, whether they are in Sri Lanka or anywhere else in the world, are suffering after they lost a leader who gave them a mother’s love. Don’t you think it is our duty to raise our voices for them and stand by their side? The lives and dreams of Eelam Tamils are just as important as the lives of our fishermen. To only look at the suffering of our fishermen, write a long statement, and then fall silent, that is the behaviour of this fake DMK government, not us.”
In August 2025, Vijay declared that Katchatheevu Island should be taken back by India because Tamil Nadu fishermen were facing harassment and oppression from the Sri Lankan Navy. This statement deeply unsettled newly elected President Anura Kumara Dissanayake. In response, Anura hurriedly visited Katchatheevu Island and declared that the island belonged to Sri Lanka, directly responding to Vijay. It was the first time a Sri Lankan head of state had ever visited Katchatheevu. Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath also responded by firmly stating that Katchatheevu belongs to Sri Lanka.
Although the Indian central government’s view was that the Sri Lankan President should not have been disturbed by the statement of an actor like Vijay, today that same Indian central government may soon have to deal directly with that very actor as the next Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. What happens next could be critical for bilateral relations.
After the deaths of Prabhakaran and other LTTE leaders and the end of the war, the Sri Lankan Tamil issue was no longer a major popular topic in Tamil Nadu politics. It was Vijay who brought the issue back into the spotlight. He revived a dormant conflict and placed it at the center of his political campaign.
Like many other Tamil Nadu leaders, Vijay may simply raise this issue during election season and then forget it afterward. Or he may choose to make the Sri Lankan Tamil issue a major political slogan, challenging the close friendship between Narendra Modi’s government and Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s government. Only time will tell which path he will take.
