Madurai Central constituency witnessed a sharp political exchange after Palanivel Thiagarajan, speaking at a campaign rally, launched a pointed attack on his opponent, AIADMK candidate Sundar C, targeting his background in the film industry.
Addressing the gathering, PTR Thiagarajan said, “Cinema sanghis are all doing this together for their next business. Never at any time have we accepted such deceitful drama-playing, performing (referring to those in cinema field) individuals. What do we say? Beating our chest, what do we say? I am a Maduraikaaran, a man from Madurai!”
The remarks triggered a strong rebuttal from Sundar C, who responded at a separate public meeting. He said, “But today, when I hear everything he is saying about me, only one thing comes to mind. At the drop of the hat, he keeps calling himself an educated man over and over again. Educated people must show it through their actions, it doesn’t show through a mere certificate that you’re educated.”
Reacting specifically to the term “cinema sangi,” Sundar C added, “I have come from cinema, the entire world knows it, the people of Madurai know it, the people of Tamil Nadu all know it. On top of that, there’s an extra word – ‘sanghi.’ The next word someone has used is ‘koothaadi’ (street dancer/jester). He has referred to me as ‘koothaadi’.”
Invoking prominent Dravidian leaders, he said, “In those days, Arignar Anna (C.N. Annadurai) acted in dramas, so he was also a koothaadi then. Their leader Dr. Kalaignar (M. Karunanidhi) wrote and acted in dramas, so he was also a koothaadi then. Why, now we have our honorable Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Stalin, he also acted, so he is also a koothaadi then. Honorable Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin, who acted as a hero in many films, if you have the courage, if you have the guts, look at the respected Udhayanidhi Stalin and say it, let’s see if you have the courage to call him a koothaadi. Do you have the courage?”
He further extended the comparison to AIADMK icons, stating, “And why not this, we saw the Puratchi Thalaivar MGR, we saw the Puratchi Thalaivi Amma (Jayalalithaa), you called them ‘koothaadi’ back then too. And they shook your entire movement, didn’t they? History is repeating itself now.”
Sundar C also accused PTR Thiagarajan of making personal remarks and avoiding key issues. He said, “He has spoken about my wife too… He says he wants to fight it out. But before that he must know his former right-hand man, Balaji is now in jail. His left-hand man Lakshmanan, he is hiding somewhere abroad. First let him handle these two and then come to me.”
Raising allegations related to civic governance, he added, “The corruption that happened in Madurai Corporation, ₹200 crore corruption – who did it? The Mayor’s husband, who is he close to? – he was put in jail, came out on bail, who brought him to that position? Tell all this history – I’ll listen too.”
He also questioned PTR Thiagarajan’s engagement with constituents, stating, “For three-quarters of an hour, until now I have not spoken about anyone – not about opposition speakers, not about this person, not about that person. You say everything, for every point I make, you give reasons. But there is one thing you never answered about the Madurai Corporation corruption – you spoke breathlessly for three-quarters of an hour, why did you not speak even one word about the Madurai Corporation corruption? You are firm only about throwing garbage at me. Madurai itself is full of garbage, you don’t see that. He said there’s a welfare scheme assistance every 500 feet, an MLA’s assistance scheme. Don’t know if there’s anything within 500 feet here. If it is, very happy. He talks on and on, cheats people over and over again, grabbing power without doing a single good thing, sitting in power and only during election time coming and giving heroic speeches, hoodwinking the people, creating divisions among the people, the time to send this crowd out to the streets has come. He mouthed so much but in five years, how many people came to see you and how many times? Did he meet anyone? Nobody came. Meaning, he didn’t come to see you. Okay, could you at least go to him to tell your problems? No. I hear people saying that if they go, they unleash the dogs there. I didn’t say it – I am saying what I heard from you. I didn’t say it. The house is two kilometres away from the gate, oh my god! That’s why I’m saying, what you’re saying, you can go to the palace (aranmanai) but not enter it. In the movie ‘Aranmanai,’ there are many ghosts running around, I have acted in ‘Aranmanai,’ I have done it. But truly, the time has come to drive away many corrupt ghosts (corrupt individuals) from this country.”
சினிமா சங்கி என்று பேசிய PTR-ஐ பங்கம் செய்த சுந்தர் சி…! படு வைரலாகும் வீடியோ…!#SundarC | #PTR | #ADMK | #tamilnadu | #election2026 | #latestupdate | #viralvideo | #tnnews24digital pic.twitter.com/ZijfdJhLPm
— TNNEWS24Air (@tnnews24air) April 12, 2026
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