Since K. Annamalai, the Tamil Nadu president of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), returned from the United Kingdom after completing the three-month Chevening Gurukul Fellowship for Leadership and Excellence at Oxford University, the political scene in the state has been buzzing with activity. Upon his return, Annamalai wasted no time launching a series of sharp criticisms at key DMK figures, including party scion and Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin, DMK IT Minister PTR Palanivel Thiagarajan (PTR) or New political entrant, actor-turned-politician TVK Vijay.
On 1 December 2024, in Coimbatore, during the conclusion of A3, a two-day conference organized by Voice of Covai, Annamalai took aim at PTR, an MIT Sloan MBA graduate with a PhD and a career in global financial markets. Annamalai criticized PTR for his sycophantic behavior, by releasing a two-page advertisement in the DMK official mouthpiece ‘Murasoli’ to honor of DMK scion Udhayanidhi Stalin‘s birthday.
Annamalai said, “When I was abroad, I saw an advertisement in a paper ‘The one who was born to rule Mother Tamil Nadu! The illustrious Dravidian son who won against Aryanism, The icon of youth uprising/rebellion! An unparalleled success story! The life painting of siblings! A hero of policy that the town admires! He is one for everyone! He is an uplifting hero! Five-letter mantra! (Udhayanidhi) Hope for all Tamils! The Dravidian generation of restless hard work! You are full of authority! I thought, as usual in DMK, someone was posting an ad, and when I checked who actually published the ad, it was P.T.R. Palanivel Thiagarajan. I then asked, “Is this why you went to America to study?” The audience burst into laughter as Annamalai continued, “What’s happening today is that ‘some politics has turned even the intelligent into slaves.’ Remember this well—Tamil Nadu has reached a point where even the brightest can only do politics here if they’re slaves.”
He went on, “I can’t blame PTR. He’s well-educated, worked in major companies, became Finance Minister, and then IT Minister—there’s no fault in it. He’s an extremely competent Human being. He’s achieved a lot, and his family has a similar legacy; his father was the same. Honestly, P.T.R. Palanivel Thiagarajan wins in his own constituency without offering money, and we should appreciate that, even he’s part of the opposition and different ideology. We should appreciate that. But look, even he has to praise Udhayanidhi Stalin now. Just compare him with Udhayanidhi Stalin on a scale.”
Thalaivar on a rampage!
PTR பழனிவேல் தியாகராஜன் ஒரு மெத்த படித்த அறிவார்ந்த கொத்தடிமை 😂 pic.twitter.com/4Fj8FEm3B1
— Krishna Kumar Murugan (@ikkmurugan) December 1, 2024
Annamalai commented against the backdrop of DMK Minister PTR Palanivel Thiagarajan, who is known for frequently highlighting his privileged background, academic credentials, and professional accomplishments recently surprised many by adopting a distinctly sycophantic tone in honour of DMK scion Udhayanidhi Stalin‘s birthday.
PTR marked the occasion by releasing a two-page advertisement in the ‘Murasoli’. This move has been seen as unusual for a leader of his stature, especially considering his usual criticism of BJP cadres’ admiration for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which he often dismisses as sycophancy.
The Advertisement That Outshone All Others
While it seemed to be a contest of sorts among the DMK cadre and minister as to who would outshine the others, some ministers chose modest one-page advertisements to celebrate the Chief Minister’s son, one released a song for the scion’s birthday, PTR went a step further, doubling down with a two-page spread.
It is noteworthy that DMK ministers who were elected as MPs hailed Udhayanidhi during their oath-taking ceremony in parliament earlier this year.
அடிமையின் உடம்பில் ரத்தம் எதற்கு 😂 pic.twitter.com/bXaS8adz3Q
— Selva Kumar (@Selvakumar_IN) June 25, 2024
Coming back to the elaborate gesture by PTR, it featured effusive praises for Udhayanidhi, who, in stark contrast to PTR’s Ivy League pedigree, is a graduate of Loyola College with a career in Tamil cinema churning out back-to-back flop film before entering politics.
PTR’s lavish tribute stands out even in a party known for its public displays of loyalty. The advertisement which explains/gives a statement for each vowel in the Tamil language reads,
“November 27 is the day of the dawn of the vowel (uyir ezhuthu)
The one who was born to rule Mother Tamil Nadu!
The illustrious Dravidian son who won against Aryanism
The icon of youth uprising/rebellion!
An unparalleled success story!
The life painting of siblings!
A hero of policy that the town admires!
He is one for everyone!
He is an uplifting hero!
Five-letter mantra! (Udhayanidhi)
Hope for all Tamils!
The Dravidian generation of restless hard work!
You are full of authority!
May you live for many years….“
The advertisement is signed as follows:
P.T.R. Palanivel Thiagarajan
Minister of Information Technology and Digital Services
In your path as long as I am alive…
மற்ற அமைச்சர்களை பிடிஆர் தியாகராஜன் விஞ்சி விட்டார்.
அமைச்சர்கள் முரசொலியில் ஒரு பக்க விளம்பரம்தான் கொடுத்திருந்தார்கள். தியாகராஜன் இன்று இரு பக்க விளம்பரம்.
அதுவும் விளம்பரம் எப்படி இருக்கிறது என்று பாருங்கள்!
ஒரு பரம்பரை கொத்தடிமையின் கூறு வெளிப்படுகிறது.… pic.twitter.com/yGxKGfqfr7
— Savukku Shankar (@SavukkuOfficial) November 28, 2024
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