Chennai, Feb 23 (AHN) In a sharp escalation of political rhetoric ahead of the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, Leader of Opposition Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS) launched a strong counterattack against Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin, responding to recent criticism directed at him by the DMK leader.

The war of words began after Udhayanidhi Stalin alleged that, though the AIADMK is formally part of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), EPS had become a “subservient slave” of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The remark drew immediate backlash from the AIADMK camp. Taking to the social media platform X, Palaniswami shared photographs from his campaign trail in the Ponneri Assembly constituency and posed a series of pointed questions aimed at the Deputy Chief Minister.

In his post, EPS challenged Udhayanidhi’s comments, asking what title he would assign to his own grandfather, former Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi, who had, at various points in political history, aligned with the BJP-led alliance.

“If I am a slave to the BJP, as Udhayanidhi Stalin claims, what would he call his own grandfather who was part of the same alliance? What designation would he give him?” Palaniswami asked.

He further questioned whether Udhayanidhi was indirectly criticising Karunanidhi by invoking his name in the current political context.

“Is he unable to criticise his grandfather directly and therefore using my name to speak about him?” EPS wrote, urging the Deputy Chief Minister to clarify his stand openly.

The AIADMK leader also broadened his criticism to target what he described as dynastic politics within the ruling DMK.

Referring to the Stalin family as one of the wealthiest political families in the world, Palaniswami questioned the necessity of continued family-based governance in the state.

“Is there a need for such a wealthy family to continue ruling Tamil Nadu?” he asked, adding that the upcoming Assembly elections would serve as a referendum on dynastic and hereditary politics.

“The forthcoming election will be one in which the people of Tamil Nadu uproot family rule and reject legacy politics,” he asserted.

With both leaders intensifying their attacks, the political atmosphere in Tamil Nadu appears set to grow more combative as parties gear up for the high-stakes electoral battle.