"Instead of buying votes, he's buying MLAs": Udhayanidhi Stalin attacks CM
DMK leader Udhayanidhi Stalin alleges the CM engineered an AIADMK split and is buying MLAs instead of votes during his Dharapuram campaign.
In a blistering political attack, the Leader of the Opposition in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly, Udhayanidhi Stalin, has accused the Chief Minister of engineering political splits and attempting to poach legislators. Speaking at a campaign rally in the Nochipalayam area of Dharapuram, the DMK leader claimed that the current administration is surviving on the strength of "bought" MLAs rather than the will of the people.
Allegations of Engineering AIADMK Split
Udhayanidhi Stalin leveled serious charges against the Chief Minister, suggesting that the stability of the current government relies on controversial tactics. He alleged that the Chief Minister was not satisfied with the existing political support and actively worked to divide the opposition.
"But apparently, that was not enough for this Chief Minister. What did he do? He split the AIADMK into two factions and allegedly bought the support of around 10 to 15 MLAs by offering them inducements," Udhayanidhi alleged during his address to the crowd.
The DMK leader further claimed that the government's survival is tied to these legislators and that efforts to lure even more MLAs are currently underway. He delivered a stinging rebuke regarding the nature of political spending, stating: "The present Chief Minister will say that the DMK and AIADMK give money to voters in exchange for votes... But do you know what he has done? Instead of buying votes, he has gone about buying MLAs."
Highlighting Development in Dharapuram
While launching his offensive against the ruling dispensation, Udhayanidhi also focused on the developmental track record of the DMK in the Dharapuram constituency. He reminded the voters that despite the party not winning the seat in the previous election, the DMK had represented the constituency from 2021 to 2026 through former Minister Kayalvizhi Selvaraj.
He listed several key infrastructure projects completed under the "Dravidian Model" government to showcase their impact on the local community:
- Education: Construction of a Government Arts and Science College at a cost of ₹12 crore.
- Healthcare: A new Government Hospital built for ₹24 crore.
- Water Management: Five check dams constructed at an investment of ₹40 crore.
- Infrastructure: A market established at a cost of ₹2 crore and the distribution of house-site pattas to approximately 9,000 beneficiaries.
The Road to Bypolls
The political temperature in Tamil Nadu is set to rise as the state prepares for critical bypolls. The elections for the Dharapuram and Madurantakam assembly constituencies are scheduled to take place on October 6. Voters will head to the polls to decide the future of these seats, with the counting of votes expected to follow on October 9.