Chennai: Actor-politician and Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) leader Vijay released pigeons painted with the colours of the TVK party flag into the air during an election campaign roadshow. In response, PETA India has issued a strong condemnation and has written a letter to the actor-politician, urging him not to use birds or animals for political purposes.
PETA’s Letter to Vijay
In the letter addressed to Vijay, PETA India stated: “Pigeons were utilized during the election campaign. The bodies of these pigeons were painted with the colours of the TVK flag. We urge you not to use birds or animals for political purposes; animals and birds do not belong to any specific political party.”
The group has also asked Vijay to hand over the remaining birds for care and rehabilitation, warning that such acts can cause severe stress, injury, and violate the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960.
The incident
During one of his campaign rally in Trichy a couple days ago, Vijay released a pigeon into the sky that had been painted with TVK party colours of Red and Yellow. As the video of this incident went viral on social media platforms, PETA India registered its objection and subsequently sent a letter expressing their opposition to the act of painting party colours onto a pigeon.
Election campaign context
Voting for the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections 2026 concluded yesterday. Campaigning for the elections had officially ceased two days prior to voting day, with intense campaigning that had been underway for the past 37 days coming to an end at 6:00 PM on April 21. Throughout these 37 days, all political parties engaged in vigorous campaigning, marked by intense speeches, mutual criticisms, and various controversies, creating a highly charged atmosphere.
Vijay did not limit his efforts to standard campaign rallies but also participated in roadshows, during one of which the incident involving the pigeon took place. While there was no immediate public discussion regarding the matter, a video clip showing Vijay releasing the pigeon painted in TVK colours subsequently went viral across the internet, prompting PETA India’s protest.