Fact Check: AP's Former MP Roja did not criticise Thalapathy Vijay

A tragic stampede at a political rally for actor-turned-politician Vijay's party, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), in Karur, Tamil Nadu, on September 27, 2025, resulted in the deaths of at least 41 people and left over 100 injured. The devastating crowd crush, which included women and children among the victims, occurred in Velusamypuram on the Karur–Erode highway. Contributing factors reportedly included significant overcrowding and a nearly seven-hour delay in the TVK chief's arrival, which led to a sudden crowd surge.

In the aftermath, Vijay expressed his profound grief, stating his heart was "shattered" and that he was "writhing in unbearable, indescribable pain and sorrow that words cannot express." He extended his deepest condolences to the families of the deceased and offered prayers for the recovery of the injured. The TVK party announced it had transferred Rs 20 lakh as relief to the families of each of the 41 victims. As a mark of respect, Vijay also called upon his party members to refrain from celebrating the festival of Diwali. The Supreme Court has subsequently ordered the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to take over the investigation into the tragic incident.

Amidst this, a video clip circulating widely on social media platforms purports to show former Andhra Pradesh minister and actor RK Roja criticizing actor-politician Thalapathy Vijay.

Here is the screenshot of the claim.

Fact Check:

The claim is misleading and presents a distorted picture of the events.

The viral video is an edited and clipped version of a press conference where former minister Roja was addressing the political situation in Andhra Pradesh. When we extracted the keyframes from the viral video and searched them using reverse image search, we found that the comments she made were directed at Jana Sena Party chief Pawan Kalyan, not Thalapathy Vijay.

We found an article published on the India First website on July 9, 2025, sharing an image of the press conference conducted by her. According to the article, a blood donation camp was held at a private office in Duraipakkam, Chennai, to mark the 76th birth anniversary of YSR Congress founder Rajasekhara Reddy. Former Andhra Pradesh Minister Roja inaugurated the blood donation camp.

In the full press conference held in Tirupati, Roja first welcomed Vijay's entry into politics. She advised him that to be successful, he should commit to being a full-time politician, citing the examples of former actor-turned-Chief Ministers like N. T. Rama Rao and M. G. Ramachandran, who dedicated themselves entirely to public service.

According to an ETV Bharat report published on July 8, 2025, Roja stated, “We are proud to be behind YSR. Even though it has been 16 years since YSR passed away, we still keep him in our hearts as a god.”

She further said, “We are watching the drama artist Pawan Kalyan and the Chief Minister EVM Babu who is speaking lies. They have won in Andhra Pradesh by hacking the EVM machine. The EVM government is ruling in Andhra Pradesh. The Andhra Pradesh government is acting as a government that has not fulfilled any of its election promises. In Chandrababu Naidu's home district of Chittoor, mango traders are facing great difficulties.

Pawan Kalyan is busy shooting. Pawan Kalyan wears a red dhoti in Andhra Pradesh and a green dhoti in Tamil Nadu. What is the reason for Pawan Kalyan suddenly saying that he was born in Tamil Nadu and grew up here? Has Pawan Kalyan suddenly become a devotee of Palani Murugan? Pawan Kalyan has gone crazy.”

Fact Crescendo Tamil also debunked the viral claim, stating that Roja's comments were misinterpreted.

Therefore, the claim that Roja was criticizing Vijay after the stampede at the TVK party rally is misleading. The video is from July 2025, and she is criticizing Pawan Kalyan, not Vijay.