Vijay fans raise TVK slogans inside Velankanni church, draw flak

Trichy: Fans of actor-politician Vijay and supporters of his party Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) entered Velankanni church (Shrine Basilica of Our Lady of Good Health) in the early hours of Saturday and raised ‘TVK, TVK' slogans amid speculation that he would visit the shrine.On Saturday, Velankanni was buzzing with thousands of Vijay fans and TVK cadres amid speculation that the TVK president would visit the church and Nagore dargah, after his recent trips to Tiruchendur Murugan temple and Shirdi Sai Baba temple.As the doors of Shrine Basilica opened around 5am, scores of supporters entered the church with their mobile phone cameras switched on and raised TVK slogans in the nave area before the altar. Their entry briefly delayed the scheduled masses. Mobile phone camera usage and camera photography are strictly prohibited inside Shrine Basilica, except for members of the press.Stunned by the sudden influx and sloganeering, the church priests asked the supporters to calm down, refrain from disrupting the holy mass, and avoid blocking other devotees. The supporters then dispersed. Later, it was confirmed that Vijay would not be visiting Velankanni or Nagore during the day. The supporters who were waiting outside the church since the previous night left disappointed.The sloganeering inside the shrine drew sharp criticism from devotees and social media users, with many condemning the TVK workers for the act. DMK's Rajya Sabha MP P Wilson demanded strict action against those responsible for the desecration."Doing this inside the nave of a church is despicable. Their ‘leader' is enjoying it and asking his social media team to spread it — it's disgusting," he posted on X. "Chanting ‘Vijay, Vijay' or ‘TVK, TVK' before the altar is an affront to the Christian faith, which believes that exaltation and adoration inside a Church should be offered only to God," he added.