Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister and DMK scion Udhayanidhi Stalin has sparked a political controversy after his sharp remarks targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a recent address, drawing strong reactions ahead of the Assembly elections.

Speaking at a party event, Udhayanidhi criticised the Union government’s policies and leadership style. He said, “Union Prime Minister Mr. Modi appears on television from time to time. Whenever he appears on TV, people become anxious – wondering what he is going to say this time.”

Referring to past decisions of the Centre, he added, “In 2020, you will remember, one day he suddenly appeared on television and said coronavirus was coming and that the only way to handle it was for everyone to go inside their homes and remain shut in for a month.”

He added, “In 2016, in the same way, he suddenly came on TV and announced demonetisation, saying the ₹500 and ₹1000 notes people had would no longer be valid.” He further alleged that “so many people, hundreds of people died standing in queues under the sun.”

Contrasting the Centre with the state government, Udhayanidhi said the BJP-led Union government was “a government that snatches from the people,” while the DMK’s Dravidian Model government “always gives to the people.”

He also accused the Centre of attempting to undermine Tamil Nadu’s growth and rights, alleging efforts to impose Hindi and Sanskrit through the New Education Policy and claiming that the Union Budget had not allocated schemes for the state. He said, “The Union BJP government is now planning how to obstruct that progress. They are trying to take away every right – language rights, education rights, financial rights. By bringing the New Education Policy, they are trying to bring Hindi and Sanskrit into Tamil Nadu. Mr. Amit Shah and Mr. Modi, who never used to even look towards Tamil Nadu, have started coming frequently now that elections are approaching. Only they will come, but no funds will come to Tamil Nadu, no schemes will come.”

He added, “Recently the Union government presented its Budget. If you look at that Budget, no scheme was allotted to Tamil Nadu. But even before they finished reading the Budget fully, praise came from Tamil Nadu – from the Leader of the Opposition Mr. Edappadi Palaniswami. That is why today Edappadi Palaniswami is praising the Budget.”

Targeting AIADMK leader Edappadi K. Palaniswami, Udhayanidhi said, “We have seen many extreme devotees (murattu bhaktar)in politics; we have seen extreme party workers (murattu thondar). But today, Mr. Edappadi Palaniswami has become an “extreme slave” to Mr. Modi.” He further alleged that Palaniswami had progressively surrendered the AIADMK to the BJP between 2019 and 2026.

The Deputy Chief Minister’s most controversial remark came when he asserted, “Today across India they are trying to threaten movements using agencies like the ED and CBI. To all this, our leader gave a clear reply yesterday in Madurai – What cases will you file? Are these cases that DMK cadres have not seen before? The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam is a movement that stood up even against the Army during the language struggle; it is a movement that faced MISA. Even if our lives go, we will never give up our self-respect. We will never give up Tamil Nadu’s rights.”

He added, “That is why I keep saying – we are not afraid of the ED, we are not afraid of Modi. Even if not Modi, even if Modi’s daddy comes, we are ready to face them.”

BJP’s Shehzad Poonawalla Hits Back At Udhayanidhi Stalin

Following this, the BJP launched a sharp attack on the DMK, with party leaders accusing the ruling party of lowering political discourse.

BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla criticised both the DMK and its ally Congress, referring to last week’s protest at the India AI Impact Summit and Udhayanidhi’s earlier comments on Sanatan Dharma.

“Congress went shirtless, topless, and characterless in the way it protested at the AI Summit. Actually, it was not a protest; it was a disruption. And now the DMK, its ally, has gone senseless, ethicless, and moralless,” Poonawalla told news agency ANI.

Escalating his attack, Poonawalla alleged that Udhayanidhi Stalin had repeatedly made objectionable remarks.

“Udhayanidhi Stalin, who has given death threats to Hindus and called for the genocide of Hindus, is now targeting the Prime Minister’s late father. Imagine. In the Bihar elections, the I.N.D.I. Alliance targeted and abused his mother. They have used more than 150 abusive words, especially against his mother and father, particularly because he comes from the OBC community,” he said.

“They have abused his family and his background. They have abused him for being a chaiwala. They have said, “Modi, teri kabar khudegi,” and threatened that he would die or be killed, using violent language like “lathi dande.” Now Udhayanidhi Stalin, who has said that he wants to exterminate Hindus and eradicate Sanatan, and for which the High Court has come down heavily on him, has delivered such hate speech. And now he is abusing the Prime Minister’s late father. This shows the journey from shirtless to shameless, from characterless to senseless. This is the directionless I.N.D.I. Alliance. They talk about the Constitution, but they are an ‘abuse ki dukaan’,” Poonawalla added.

VIDEO | Delhi: On Tamil Nadu Deputy CM Udhayanidhi Stalin’s remarks on PM Narendra Modi’s father, BJP leader Shehzad Poonawalla says, “Congress went shirtless, topless, and characterless with the way it protested at the AI Summit. It was not protest, it was disruption. Now DMK,… pic.twitter.com/21nnMXLo5J

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) February 23, 2026

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