Udhayanidhi Stalin responds to BJP's 'nepotism' barb: 'I agree that DMK is...'
Udhayanidhi's father MK Stalin is the DMK chief and currently the CM of Tamil Nadu. His grandfather M Karunanidhi was an iconic figure in Dravidian politics.
Tamil Nadu minister Udhayanidhi Stalin on Sunday lashed out at the Bharatiya Janata Party over ‘nepotism’ jibe at his party Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK).
“They (BJP) call us (DMK) a family-run party. I agree that DMK is a family-run party, as all of Tamil Nadu is Karunanidhi's family,” the minister was quoted by ANI as saying.
Earlier this month, PM Modi at a rally in Chennai had hit out at the MK Stalin-led party. "Dynasty parties only think about their future whereas I work for everyone's future," he asserted.
"While the motto of the DMK and the Congress is 'family first' for me it is 'nation first. Therefore, the INDIA alliance has developed this new formula".
ALSO READ: Udhayanidhi Stalin pulled up by Supreme Court over Sanatana remark: 'You are not a layman'
"What does it mean? Does it mean that having a family means getting the licence for corruption? Does having a family mean having a licence to seize power for their family? Modi had asked.
Udhayanidhi's father MK Stalin is the DMK chief and currently the chief minister of Tamil Nadu. His grandfather M Karunanidhi was an iconic figure in Dravidian politics for decades.
Karunanidhi passed away on August 7, 2018, aged 94. He was buried with full state honours at Marina Beach, next to his mentor and former Tamil Nadu chief minister, CN Annadurai.
The voting for all 39 Lok Sabha seats in Tamil Nadu will be held in the first phase on April 19.
In the 2019 general elections, the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance, comprising the Congress, VCK, MDMK, CPI, CPI(M), IUML, MMK, KMDK, TVK, and AIFB, registered a landslide victory, winning 38 of the 39 seats.
In 2019, the DMK won 23 Lok Sabha seats, hogging 33.2 per cent of the total votes polled, while the Congress bagged 8 seats, with its vote share at 12.9 per cent. The CPI, too, won two seats in the state.
In the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, Tamil Nadu will vote in the first of the seven phases on April 19. The counting of votes will take place on June 4.
(With ANI inputs)