"We'll not fear PM Modi": Tamil Nadu Deputy CM Udhayanidhi Stalin slams BJP-AIADMK ahead of assembly polls

Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu) [India], February 22 (ANI): Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin on Sunday launched a scathing attack against the BJP-AIADMK alliance ahead of the Assembly elections, stating that the DMK does not fear Prime Minister Narendra Modi, "not even if the father of PM comes".
Addressing a DMK Youth Wing event in Coimbatore, Udhayanidhi Stalin termed the upcoming elections a contest between Tamil Nadu and Delhi.
He said, "Whenever Modi appears on television, people get frightened about what he is going to announce. Demonetisation and the Corona (lockdown) announcements by Modi made people fearful. But if Stalin appears on TV, people are happy about the new announcement schemes. We'll never leave our rights for the welfare of Tamil Nadu. We'll not fear PM Modi, not even if the father of PM Modi comes."
Stalin further slammed AIADMK General Secretary and Leader of Opposition in the Tamil Nadu Assembly, Edappadi K Palaniswami, for praising the Union Budget 2026-27.
"In the recent Union budget, no welfare schemes were announced for Tamil Nadu. Immediately, EPS praised the Budget. He has become a serious rogue of the BJP," he said.
Reiterating that the Centre did not release funds for the Coimbatore and Madurai metro projects, the Tamil Nadu Deputy CM said, "When we asked to allot funds for the metro for Coimbatore and Madurai, the fund was not released. The fight is between Tamil Nadu and Delhi."
Udhayanidhi Stalin was presented with a Kangayam Bull memento by State Minister MP Saminathan at an event of the Youth Wing.
Meanwhile, the 234-member Tamil Nadu Assembly will go to the polls in the first half of 2026, where the MK Stalin-led alliance will look to project the 'Dravidian Model 2.0' for the win against the BJP-AIADMK alliance. Actor-turned-politician Vijay's entry with his Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) is expected to turn the Tamil Nadu polls into a three-way contest.
In the 2021 polls, the DMK won 133 seats in the 2021 Assembly polls. Congress won 18, PMK won five, VCK won four, and others, including independents won eight seats. The Secular Progressive Alliance (SPA), led by DMK, which consisted of Congress, won 159 seats collectively.
While the NDA won 75 seats, the AIADMK emerged as the largest party in the alliance with 66 seats. (ANI)