Videos of Vijay's 'fans' burning TN govt freebies go viral
Chennai, Nov 10: Video clips of Tamil actor Vijay's fans recreating a snipped scene from his controversial movie 'Sarkar', throwing away freebies, including table fans, of the AIADMK government and setting them ablaze, went viral on the social media Saturday.
Some youth,claiming to be Vijay's supporters, uploaded on social media videos of them dumping the fan, mixie and grinder in open spaces and pits and setting them ablaze.
By doing so, they recreated a scene from 'Sarkar' which was voluntarily cut by the movie-makers following objection from the AIADMK.
The 'fans' also spoke in support of their matinee idol's movie and lashed out at the ruling AIADMK for their objection.
Vijay's Deepavali flick 'Sarkar' kicked up a row with the ruling AIADMK objecting to scenes that showed freebies being thrown into the fire.
Also, the ruling party had objected to a woman character's name, which, it said, was a purported reference to late chief minister J Jayalalithaa.
The issue heated up after supporters of the ruling party allegedly tore up banners of 'Sarkar' and began targeting movie halls that screened the movie.
Eventually, the movie-makers offered a truce and went in for voluntary cuts of the freebies-trashing scene and muted an objectionable name.
The AIADMK has, however, denied allegation that their party workers tore 'Sarkar' banners.
Supporters of Dravidian ideology actively opposed 'demonisation' of freebies in the social media since these were intended to help the marginalised people.
Notably, the main opposition party DMK, which has been targeting the AIADMK government on all issues, refrained from commenting on the row that involved the movie-makers, Vijay's fans and the ruling party.
On Thursday, the AIADMK was up in arms against 'Sarkar' with senior state ministers demanding deletion of the contentious scenes, besides threatening to initiate legal action if the film crew failed to comply.
Law Minister C Ve Shanmugam had said certain scenes amounted to inciting violence and warned of 'action'.
The AIADMK took strong exception to scenes showing mixer-grinders and fans being burnt,seen as an obvious affront to its flagship scheme of providing these goods free of cost to the people, fulfilling an electoral promise made by Jayalalithaa in 2011.
'Sarkar' had earlier courted a row after an aspiring filmmaker claimed that the film's story was his, following which director Murugadoss went in for a compromise with him.
Produced by Sun Pictures, the film stars Vijay and Keerthi Suresh in key roles with Oscar winner A R Rahman scoring the music.
Vijay's 2017 film 'Mersal' too had courted controversy after BJP objected to some scenes critical of GST, among others.
Compilation of many such videos of burning and breaking freebies of TN government by Vijay Fans. Don't miss any of these mischievous activities. Funny to watch but very sad to see my state is filled with fools to be influenced by actors with vested interests. #Sarkar pic.twitter.com/XROWKJWju4
— Saiganesh (@im_saiganesh) November 9, 2018
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Metro ridership in Haryana sees over 13 pc rise in 2025-26
Chandigarh (PTI): Haryana's urban transit system witnessed a strong growth in 2025-26, with metro ridership registering a robust 13.55 per cent increase, the state government said in a statement on Thursday.
The progress was reviewed in the 64th board meeting of Haryana Mass Rapid Transport Corporation (HMRTC) chaired by Chief Secretary Anurag Rastogi.
Between April 2025 and February 2026, the metro network recorded over 1.74 crore passengers, compared to 1.53 crore in the corresponding period the previous year.
July recorded the highest monthly growth at 22.93 per cent, while all months showed consistent positive trends.
Financial performance has also remained strong, with fare revenue rising 12.64 per cent till January 2026, the statement said.
Non-fare revenue surged by 108 per cent, driven by effective monetisation of station spaces, advertisements and commercial activities, resulting in an operating surplus for Rapid Metro.
Further initiatives, including the auction of station naming rights and additional advertisement sites, are expected to strengthen HMRTC's financial position, the statement said.
Appreciating the performance, Rastogi stated that the consistent rise in ridership and revenue reflects the success of Haryana's integrated transport strategy, rising commuter confidence and a clear shift towards public transport.
HMRTC Managing Director Chander Shekhar Khare said that, alongside operational gains, the state is making steady progress on an ambitious pipeline of metro and regional transit projects.
Metro connectivity from Gurugram Sector 56 to Panchgaon is under active consideration, with Haryana State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited studying the Detailed Project Report (DPR) and layout plan, and finalising a depot location in Sector 36A near Sihi village, he said.
The Gurugram-Faridabad Namo Bharat corridor has achieved a key milestone, with alignment and station locations finalised and approved by the Haryana government. The National Capital Region Transport Corporation is preparing the DPR, he added.
Similarly, the Delhi-Kundli metro extension is proposed to be placed before the Haryana Cabinet for approval.
The 136.3-kilometre Delhi-Panipat-Karnal RRTS Corridor has also progressed, with the revised DPR submitted for financial concurrence ahead of Haryana Cabinet consideration.
Within Gurugram, DPR preparation has been approved for key intra-city corridors, including the 17.09-kilometre Bhondsi-Subhash Chowk-Rajeev Chowk-Sohna Chowk Railway Station corridor, enhancing connectivity along Sohna Road, Khare said.
