CM Vijay to visit Trichy to 'express his gratitude'; city to witness his first public address after assuming office

TRICHY: Chief minister C Joseph Vijay is set to visit Trichy on Monday (June 1) and address a public meeting, marking the first such instance after assuming office as chief minister. Though he spoke on the day of oath taking ceremony, he has not made a public address since then.The TVK chief is scheduled to arrive in Trichy at around 4 pm on Monday evening on a charted flight. From there, he is expected to undertake an informal roadshow, greeting supporters from inside his vehicle, before proceeding to St Joseph's College near Chathiram Bus Stand, where he will address the gathering.Preparations were in full swing at the college grounds on Saturday, with workers erecting temporary structures to provide shade for attendees. Addressing a press conference, Tamil Nadu housing board chairman Ku Pa Krishnan said the venue was chosen because it could accommodate a large crowd, with seating arrangements for around 15,000 people. The venue of CM programme in Trichy Vijay had contested the assembly elections from both Trichy East in Trichy district and Perambur in Chennai. However, he retained the Perambur seat and vacated Trichy East, necessitating a byelection. “This event has been organised to express his gratitude to the voters of the Trichy East assembly constituency, who supported him and ensured his victory in the recent elections. The meeting is being held at a location where three iconic landmarks of Trichy converge — the historic church near St Joseph's College, the Rockfort Temple and Srirangam,” Krishnan said.Krishnan appealed to party supporters not to follow the chief minister's convoy, warning that doing so could lead to untoward incidents.Address him as CM Vijay, not just Vijay: Deputy SpeakerDeputy speaker M Ravi Sankar, who accompanied Ku Pa Krishnan at the press conference, urged journalists to refer to the chief minister as “CM Vijay” rather than simply “Vijay.” The remark, made while cameras were rolling, quickly became a talking point on social media after a video clip of the exchange went viral.