Tamil Nadu’s election campaign is turning increasingly personal, with leaders trading barbs that go well beyond governance.
DMK scion Udhayanidhi Stalin and TVK leader & minister Aadhav Arjuna were seen trading personal jibes during their election campaigns.
While Udhayanidhi took a swipe at Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay over the TVK government’s proposed ₹1,200-crore Secretariat, mocking its proposed sea-facing location and Vijay’s association with astrologer Rickey Radhan Pandit Vettrivel, Aadhav Arjuna responded with remarks targeting Udhayanidhi’s personal life and family.
Campaigning in Dharapuram in support of DMK candidate Suganya, Udhayanidhi recalled Vijay’s earlier claim that the previous DMK government had left the state treasury empty. He then questioned the proposed expenditure on a new Secretariat and mocked the decision to have the building face the sea.
“What did he say when he assumed office as Chief Minister? Did he not claim that the DMK had completely drained the treasury before leaving? Yet today, he has announced the construction of a new Secretariat costing ₹1,200 crore. And not just any Secretariat—one facing the sea. Does he get into the “mood” only when he sees the sea? Hey, I meant the mood to work. They filed a case against me for talking about Cauvery water. Who suggested this? An astrologer must have advised that it should face the ocean. Our CM will sit and work only in a sea-facing office.”
Udhayanidhi’s remarks went beyond questioning the cost of the proposed Secretariat, using the building’s location and Vijay’s reported association with an astrologer as material for ridicule.
At a campaign event in Madurantakam, TVK leader Aadhav Arjuna responded by praising Vijay’s punctuality and attacking Udhayanidhi over his alleged work schedule. He also invoked the DMK’s dynastic politics and referred to Kanimozhi’s earlier remarks about the party’s future.
“You tell me, which Chief Minister has ever arrived at the office by 9:30 AM before this? My brother Vijay has the commitment to the people to show up at the Assembly at 9:30 AM like a schoolboy. The commitment to serve the people, do you see it or not? Oh he (Udhayanidhi) only comes at 5 o clock? He wakes up only at 4:00 PM? Well, a ‘Prince of the Inner/private Chambers’ (andhapuram) has to work all night long, you know! When would he ever wake up during the day? That is exactly why he speaks such filthy language. What work does the ‘Prince of the Inner/Private Chambers’ have? Why does he speak so crudely? It is a dynastic family. What sister Kanimozhi said is correct; I agree with it. Sister Kanimozhi, what you said is right, no one can destroy the DMK from the outside. Your brother’s own son, Prince Udhayanidhi is enough to bring an end to this dynastic rule.”
View this post on Instagram
Subscribe to our channels on WhatsApp, Telegram, Instagram and YouTube to get the best stories of the day delivered to you personally.
