In a high-decibel campaign today in Pudukkottai and Viralimalai, Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin launched a scathing attack on the BJP-led Union Government. Addressing a massive gathering, Udhayanidhi alleged that the Centre is deliberately "punishing" the people of Tamil Nadu by withholding critical development funds and ignoring the state in the recent Union Budget. He framed the upcoming April 23 Assembly elections as a battle for state autonomy against a "hostile Delhi team."
Udhayanidhi further claimed that the BJP is attempting to enter Tamil Nadu by "wearing the AIADMK mask," suggesting that AIADMK leader Edappadi K. Palaniswami is acting as a "remote-controlled" subordinate to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He urged voters to provide a decisive mandate to the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance to protect the "Dravidian Model" of governance, which he claimed has placed Tamil Nadu at the forefront of national development indices. The speech marks a peak in the rhetorical battle over federalism and fiscal autonomy that has come to define the 2026 campaign cycle.
