Nagapattinam (Tamil Nadu) [India], April 12 : AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) on Sunday hit back at Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin over his "slave" remarks.
Dismissing Udhayanidhi Stalin's remarks, Palaniswami said AIADMK cadres are proud followers of MG Ramachandran, the party's founder and former CM of Tamil Nadu and will not accept such labels.
"MK Stalin and Udhayanidhi Stalin are focusing only on criticising me in their campaigns, rather than speaking about people's welfare or government schemes... Neither I nor my party cadres are slaves. While DMK may be a sewer, AIADMK cadres are proud followers of MG Ramachandran and will never accept such labels," he said.
"AIADMK is strong, and DMK is unable to accept this strength, which is why they resort to criticism," he added.
The response comes after Udhayanidhi Stalin described the AIADMK-led NDA alliance as a "slave team", while accusing former Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami of failing to stand up for Tamil Nadu's interests, particularly on issues like NEET.
"This election is between the Delhi team and the Tamil Nadu team. Our leader is the captain, and we will win. The AIADMK-led NDA alliance is a slave team. The NEET examination was implemented during the AIADMK regime under his leadership. He (Edappadi Palaniswami) failed to raise his voice for Tamil Nadu's welfare. He is subservient to the Central Government," Stalin said.
Tamil Nadu polls are scheduled to be conducted in a single phase on April 23, with counting scheduled for May 4.
The main electoral contest is expected between the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK)-led Secular Progressive Alliance (SPA), which also includes Congress, DMDK, and the VCK, and the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), led by AIADMK with the BJP and Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) as allies. Actor-turned-politician Vijay is set to make his electoral debut with TVK, attempting to turn the upcoming elections into a three-way contest.
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