Actor Udhayanidhi’s political dialogue draws big applause

A media-shy Udhayanidhi, who had consciously avoided participating in political events, surprised onlookers by joining in the hunger strike organised by former Chennai Mayor and one of the party district secretaries Ma Subramaniam at Adambakkam. Though he reiterated more than thrice that he was not there to talk politics, his short four-minute speech, which lacked the rhetoric flourish of old-school Dravidian politics, was palpably political enough to draw attention. 

Aside from the fact that he had opened his speech with thanking the party functionaries, Udhayanidhi did not mind launching a veiled attack on Vaiko. Borrowing the words of his father who sarcastically called the MDMK leader a “political pundit” a few days back, Udhayanidhi said, “There is a political pundit. You know who he is. The pundit said DMK is heading towards obliteration. After seeing such politically informed young gathering, I am certain that even if thousand political pundits team up against DMK, it will not be affected.”

“I came to sit along with you (audience), but annan (brother) Ma Su compelled me to share the dais. I was forced to share the dais. Media may write tomorrow that I have taken the plunge (into politics). I do not bother about criticism. I am born a DMK man. So, I am not new to criticism,” Udhayanidhi added, playing down the political undertone of his participation in the onslaught against the ruling AIADMK. 

Even a few DMK insiders, who initially tried to project Udayanidhi as an apolitical participant in DMK hunger strike, however, said his participation only confirms that the entire DMK rank and file was involved the party’s offensive against the AIADMK.