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Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin on Friday, September 26, took a veiled swipe at Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) president Vijay, ridiculing the actor-politician’s decision to hold campaign events only on Saturdays.
Udhayanidhi told party workers, “I’m not someone who comes out only on Saturdays. I keep travelling even on Sundays. I don’t even know what day today is.” His remarks drew loud cheers from DMK cadres as he emphasised his continuous outreach across districts.
Udhayanidhi also urged DMK functionaries to step up their door-to-door campaign and explain the party’s ideology to the youth. Without directly naming TVK, he said, “Some parties have been newly floated and members of such outfits have no idea about ideology.”
Udhayanidhi also spoke about the state government’s flagship Magalir Urimaithittam, noting that 1.20 crore women had already received Rs 24,000 each under the scheme. He said that with relaxed eligibility rules, more women would benefit from the scheme. “90% of the women told me that this amount is useful for their medical expenses and children’s education,” he said.
The Deputy CM also took a swipe at AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami, saying that the opposition leader had “forgotten even AIADMK founder MG Ramachandran” and now only remembered Union Minister Amit Shah. “Even if he looks at MGR’s face in an image, Palaniswami will only be reminded of Amit Shah. That is the level of training the BJP has given him,” Udhayanidhi said.
He also attacked the BJP-led Union government over GST, stating, “The Tamil Nadu people have paid Rs 55 lakh crore towards GST during the past eight years. Have they repaid that amount to the people?” He argued that while the Union government claimed to have reduced GST, it was the same government that hiked it eight years ago.
On alliance dynamics, Udhayanidhi expressed confidence that the Congress would remain with the DMK despite speculation about seat-sharing in the 2026 Assembly elections. “The hand will always be with us,” he said, referring to the Congress party’s symbol.