Daijiworld Media Network- Chennai
Chennai, Jul 25: Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin launched a scathing attack on AIADMK leader Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS), accusing him of betraying the Tamil people by reviving ties with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of the upcoming elections.
Speaking at a DMK event in Chennai on Thursday, Udhayanidhi Stalin, son of Chief Minister M K Stalin, said, “This is not just political; it is a battle to protect our land, our pride, and our mother tongue. EPS once said there would be no alliance with the BJP. But he has now struck a secret deal, betraying the Tamil people.”
Alleging that the AIADMK is "desperately trying to pave the way for the BJP," the Deputy CM warned, “As long as black and red flag-bearers (DMK cadres) are alive, saffron will never gain ground in Tamil Nadu. The BJP can never touch the heart of Tamils.”
The BJP and AIADMK, allies in the 2019 Lok Sabha and 2021 Assembly elections, parted ways in 2023 after friction between leaders. At the time, AIADMK called the break-up their “happiest moment.” However, with the Lok Sabha 2024 debacle and political compulsions mounting, the alliance was revived in April this year.
Udhayanidhi didn’t hold back in highlighting the apparent U-turn. “EPS went into hiding and emerged only to cut a deal with the BJP. This betrayal must be uprooted. Tamil Nadu will not forget or forgive,” he asserted.
He further reignited the language controversy, accusing the BJP-led Centre of favouring Hindi-speaking states. “They didn’t give a single rupee to Tamil Nadu’s education sector but gave thousands of crores to Uttar Pradesh and Assam,” he alleged.
The DMK and other regional parties have long opposed the National Education Policy’s three-language formula, viewing it as a move to impose Hindi. “Some people failed to understand the BJP’s hidden agenda of turning India into a Hindi nation,” Udhayanidhi added.
With delimitation, language, and federal rights expected to be the cornerstones of Tamil Nadu’s political discourse ahead of next year's Assembly elections, the verbal duel between the DMK and the AIADMK-BJP camp is set to intensify in the days to come.