Udhayanidhi hits back at CM Vijay over remarks on women, corruption charges
Udhayanidhi Stalin challenges CM Vijay's moral authority, alleges corruption evidence, and protests denial of Assembly response.
Tamil Nadu Leader of the Opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin on Monday launched a sharp counterattack against Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay, questioning his moral authority to speak on issues of decency and respect towards women. Mr. Udhayanidhi's remarks came in response to the Chief Minister's advice against making inappropriate comments targeting women.
Addressing reporters after staging a walkout from the Assembly, Mr. Udhayanidhi argued that the Chief Minister's own filmography, including scenes and songs from his movies, contradicted his public preaching on the matter. He suggested that the Chief Minister would not be able to tolerate a detailed discussion of his past work.
The Opposition leader also escalated his attack on the state government, raising questions about key appointments. He specifically named individuals — Vishnu Reddy, Sujai Reddy, and Anil Reddy — and demanded to know why they had been entrusted with responsibilities related to mines. He claimed that documents supporting his questions would be released to the public.
Mr. Udhayanidhi's walkout was prompted by the Speaker's decision to deny the DMK an opportunity to respond to the Chief Minister's speech in the House. He stated that permission to speak was initially granted but later withdrawn, a move he attributed to unknown compulsions.
Dismissing the Chief Minister's allegations of corruption against the DMK as mere claims lacking evidence, Mr. Udhayanidhi asserted that his party also possessed similar evidence, pointing to allegations against the PWD Minister.
In a broader critique, the Leader of the Opposition accused the Chief Minister of avoiding any criticism of the BJP, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, or Home Minister Amit Shah. He alleged that the government lacked courage, describing the Chief Minister as a "dummy" who merely delivered a memorized script prepared by others.
Mr. Udhayanidhi explained that DMK members were present to listen to replies on 15 questions they had raised. However, he claimed the Chief Minister's response quickly devolved into false allegations, prompting their objection. He alleged that the speech was crafted for social media consumption and film-style dialogues, making it difficult for his members to contain their emotions.