CHENNAI: Youth Welfare and Sports Development Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin who is also the DMK’s youth wing secretary on Saturday asserted that the party is not keen on (clinging to) power and that standing up for ideology is important.
He made the remark when asked about objections raised by certain BJP functionaries as to how he could take part in ‘Sanatana Ozhippu Maanaadu’ while being a minister. A smiling Udhayanidhi said, “The very purpose of launching the DMK was that. We are not keen on clinging to power. We stand for our ideology. I spoke whatever was already spoken by leaders like BR Ambedkar, Periyar and Arignar Anna.”
When a scribe asked whether he would not be bothered about losing power for opposing Sanatana Dharma, Udhayanidhi nodded his head.To another question, he said, “I don’t bother about what BJP spreads because their job is to circulate fake news. But I want to know the view of the AIADMK on this issue since that party has the name of Arignar Anna as part of its name. You all knew well there was no other leader who opposed Sanatana Dharma so vehemently in his lifetime. When you meet AIADMK leaders, please ask them about this.”
Answering another question about the reported move to change the name of the country, Udhayanidhi, in a sarcastic note, quipped: “Nine years ago, the Prime Minister said he would change India. Now he has accomplished that.”
Earlier, addressing office-bearers of the DMK’s sports development wing, Udhayanidhi said every office-bearer should maintain a minute book which would serve as proof of how sincerely he had worked.
Water Resources Minister and DMK general secretary Duraimurugan hailed Udhayanidhi as the ‘nambikkai natchathiram of the future’ and that his words are reverberating across the country now. “I say this with my 54 years of political experience. The reach of Udhayanidhi’s political journey will exceed his father (MK Stalin) and his grandfather M Karunanidhi,” Duraimurugan added.