Tamil Nadu polls: If betrayal had a form, it would be Palaniswami, says Stalin

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin launched a scathing attack on Leader of Opposition Edappadi K. Palaniswami on Sunday, April 5, 2026, accusing him of creating a campaign on slander and substandard rhetoric.

“If you say Palaniswami, it means lies and deception. He hides his own lies and lies again and again. The lies told by Palaniswami can be published as a book; he lies so much,” he said at a campaign rally here. “He also made false statements about former Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi not giving space to former Chief Minister Kamaraj, Janaki, MGR and others…”

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Mr. Stalin recalled that out of respect for Kamaraj, Karunanidhi forgot that he had accompanied the leader’s body until the last moment of the last rites. He noted that Mr. Palaniswami, who “suddenly” became the Prime Minister, was himself dismissed by the people in the last election.

“Everyone in the state is aware that we have overcome these hurdles despite the Union government collecting our taxes to benefit the northern states and creating an artificial financial crisis for us. We have successfully fulfilled all our promises, including the pension scheme,” he said.

“Instead of holding the BJP-led Union government accountable, Palaniswami chose to target me. This is not surprising, given that she betrayed Jayalalithaa’s legacy by aligning herself with the party that she vehemently opposed,” the Chief Minister said. “If there is any form of betrayal, it is Mr. Palaniswami. How will people listen to him?” he asked.

“While the public is enthusiastically welcoming the voucher scheme, Palaniswami alone seems troubled. He is making false claims that DMK members will get commission from this initiative. His claims of getting commission are logically impossible as we distribute coupons instead of cash for people to buy their own needs,” he said.

In this democratic battle of ‘Tamil Nadu team or Delhi team’, you should support the Secular Alliance in Virudhunagar, Mr. Stalin appealed to the people.

He was campaigning for DMK candidate for Aruppukkottai constituency Minister KKSSR Ramachandran, DMK candidate for Tiruchuli constituency and Minister Thangam Thennarasu, DMDK candidate for Virudhunagar Vijaya Prabhakaran, DMK candidate for Sattur A. Kadarkarai Raj, Congress candidate for AMSG Ashokan and Communist Party of India candidate for Srivilliputhur Mahalingam.