Oppn criticise induction of Udhayanidhi into cabinet

CHENNAI: When the leaders and functionaries of the ruling party were celebrating the appointment of DMK president-cum-Chief Minister MK Stalin’s son Udhayanidhi Stalin as Minister for Youth Welfare and Sports Development, the AIADMK and other opposition parties slammed the move and dubbed it as “family politics”.

Leader of Opposition and former chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami hit out at the CM, MK Stalin, for inducting his son in the cabinet and said it was a first step to aid his son to emerge as the “head of corruption”.

He said this while addressing a protest organised in Salem on Tuesday against the DMK government’s for increasing the price of the milk, electricity charges and the property taxes.

Ousted AIADMK leader VK Sasikala criticised the reshuffle of the council of ministers to accommodate DMK’s youth wing secretary and Chepauk-Triplicane MLA Udhayanidhi Stalin. She wondered whether it's a reshuffle of the cabinet or anointing of the prince awaiting?

By giving false poll promises, the DMK returned to power. Within 19 months, the ruling party has staged this coronation. The credit of establishing monarchy in democracy goes to the DMK, Sasikala said in a statement and assured that the AIADMK party would soon end the DMK’s monarchy and restore democracy in the state.

Senior AIADMK leader and EPS supporter D Jayakumar came down heavily for clearing the path for DMK leader and chief minister M K Stalin’s son Udhayanidhi Stalin as minister was nothing but dynastic politics, while several other AIADMK leaders slammed their arch-rival regarding the issue and said “dynastic politics” is in the DMK’s blood.

AMMK leader TTV Dhinakaran has also joined the issue and questioned the need for such an urgency of appointing the first time MLA Udhayanidhi as the minister.

BJP vice president Narayanan Thirupathy said it was nothing but dynastic politics. When Stalin assumed charge as party president, he promised that neither his son nor his son-in-law would be made minister or party leader. Now the promise is not kept, Thirupathy added.