Tamil Nadu deputy CM Udhayanidhi Stalin calls EPS a slave of BJP

Chennai: Tamil Nadu deputy chief minister Udhayanidhi Stalin on Monday launched a scathing attack on opposition leader Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) and said the AIADMK chief has become a “slave” of the BJP. “In 2019, he mortgaged the AIADMK to the BJP. In 2021, he leased the AIADMK to the BJP. And now, in 2026, he has completely sold the AIADMK to the BJP. Edappadi Palaniswami is steering the AIADMK towards destruction for his own selfish interests,” he said.

The DMK leader said that if MG Ramachandran were alive today, he would “shed tears” seeing the current leadership of the AIADMK.

The deputy CM’s remarks sparked immediate reaction from AIADMK supporters. In a post on X, Palaniswami questioned former DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi for aligning himself with the BJP-led alliance at various points in his political journey. “If I were the slave of the BJP as claimed by Udhayanidhi Stalin, what name would he give to his grandfather, who was part of the same alliance? What title would he give him?” he asked.
He also questioned whether Udhayanidhi was indirectly criticizing Karunanidhi by mentioning his name in the current political context.

EPS called on the deputy prime minister to clarify his position, saying: “He cannot criticize his grandfather directly and therefore uses my name to talk about him?” he wrote.