India, Aug. 19 -- Tamil Nadu chief minister C Joseph Vijay works nearly 20 hours a day, with his day starting as early as 4 am by calling ministers for updates on their respective departments, his close confidante and Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) minister Aadhav Arjuna revealed.

He called the actor-turned-politician a "political monk", saying that Vijay remained focused on running the government.

Arjuna said Vijay remains engaged with government work for most of the day and begins checking on departmental work early in the morning. He said the Tamil Nadu CM personally seeks updates from ministers, sometimes starting those conversations at 4 am.

"Our leader is working for more than 18 to 20 hours a day. He calls at 4 in the morning an...