'Launching Udhayanidhi is Stalin's only aim' quips EPS on DMK chief's rivalry with Alagiri

Addressing a poll meeting on Thursday, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami slammed DMK chief MK Stalin and called him a "dynast". He also slammed DMK for raising questions on his government's schemes. EPS also dared Stalin's son and DMK's youth wing chief Udhayanidhi Stalin for an open debate and said that his corruption allegations against AIADMK are 'baseless.' He said that the ultimate aim of Stalin is to promote his son, opining that due to the same reason Stalin is not allowing his estranged brother MK Alagiri to rejoin DMK. 

Condemning the dynasty politics, EPS said, "They are not allowing MK Alagiri because he (Stalin) wants to promote his son." He added, "I am ready to debate it with Stalin but he is not coming forward. We have not given any project tenders to anybody close to us," he reiterated. 

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The sharp attack of EPS on Stalin's son came as Udhayanidhi is currently undertaking gram sabha meet and in one such meet, he took a jibe at the Tamil Nadu CM saying, "I try to say ‘Edappadi’ government, immediately someone from the crowd says ‘Edupudi aatchi’ [slave government]. I wonder whose slave. Modi’s slave or who's?." 

READ | Minister takes potshot at Stalin citing Alagiri's remark

DMK's campaign 

Flagging issues in sectors like agriculture and education, the DMK launched a campaign titled "werejectadmk", and urged people to defeat the AIADMK in the elections. DMK chief Stalin and senior party functionaries are currently visiting villages and wards and conducting "gram sabhas". The DMK, out of power since 2011, is making a full-throttled bid to storm back and dethrone the AIADMK. Stalin has also stated that celebrities such as Rajinikanth and Kamal Hassan are being forced to join politics and launch parties to ensure that DMK does not win the 2021 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections. Stalin, who is eyeing his maiden CM-term, has declared that his party will win 200+ seats in the polls. It is to be noted that Prashant Kishor and his team IPAC have been roped in for DMK's campaign.

READ | Stalin's Gram Sabha meet a camouflage to blame TN Govt: CM

Tamil Nadu Assembly elections

Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu are due during April-May 2021 and the political parties have started their campaign. While DMK's MK Stalin is eyeing becoming Chief Minister for the first time, AIADMK has arrived at reconciliation between two warring factions - of Deputy CM O Pannerselvam (OPS) and CM E Palaniswamy (EPS). Incumbent E Palaniswamy has been named as its CM candidate and O Panneerselvam as the chief of the 11-member steering committee. The BJP is yet to make a formal announcement of the alliance with AIADMK and is in talks with Stalin's estranged brother MK Alagiri. On the other side, AIADMK has said that they are the big-brother within the NDA alliance. Meanwhile, Kamal Hassan is on a campaign trail and Alagiri has said that the launch of his political party will be in January. Superstar Rajinikanth who was about to launch his party this year has backed out due to health reasons. 

READ | BJP nails Stalin's hypocrisy on farm laws amid resolution demand, cites 2016 DMK manifesto