Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief C Joseph Vijay came under attack from DMK president MK Stalin on Friday over his alleged silence on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and the controversy surrounding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Addressing an election rally in Dharapuram ahead of the October 6 Assembly bypoll, Stalin questioned why Vijay had not spoken about the SIR and Election Commission-related controversy.
"What is your fear, CM sir, what is the fear?" Stalin asked, according to PTI. He questioned whether Vijay was "afraid of the BJP" and said leaders across the country were speaking about the issue.
Stalin also referred to criticism from Left parties, which provide outside support to the Vijay-led TVK government. He said their questions over the SIR controversy further raised the issue of Vijay's position on the matter.
Stalin takes jibe at Vijay over TVK-BJP remark
Stalin also targeted Vijay over remarks made during his recent campaign in Dharapuram. He claimed that Vijay had "uttered the truth" by admitting that TVK was a branch of the BJP.
The remark relates to a viral clip from Vijay's campaign speech in which he appeared to say "TVK" while discussing a party's earlier relationship with the BJP. Reports said Vijay was apparently referring to the DMK but used TVK instead, prompting criticism from political opponents.
Stalin further took a swipe at Vijay over his conduct in the Tamil Nadu Assembly, referring to the TVK chief's remarks about the Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA) and a gesture that had been interpreted as a reference to Stalin's detention during the Emergency.
Vijay had previously clarified that the gesture was not intentional. Stalin, however, accused him of lowering the dignity of the Assembly by making light of his incarceration.
Vijay, Stalin intensify bypoll campaign
The exchange comes as the DMK and TVK intensify campaigning for the October 6 bypolls in Madurantakam and Dharapuram. The contests have emerged as closely watched political battles after former AIADMK MLAs Maragatham Kumaravel and P Sathyabama resigned from their seats and joined Vijay's TVK.
Vijay held a roadshow in Madurantakam on Friday in support of TVK candidate Maragatham Kumaravel, while Stalin campaigned in Dharapuram for DMK candidate S Suganya. AIADMK chief Edappadi K Palaniswami also campaigned in the constituencies.
Vijay has been attacking both the DMK and AIADMK during the campaign, while Stalin has stepped up his criticism of the newly formed ruling party. The SIR exercise and the Election Commission have added another layer to the political confrontation ahead of the bypolls.
The political exchanges come amid wider criticism of the SIR exercise by opposition parties, with the Election Commission's functioning and the role of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar becoming prominent issues in Tamil Nadu's political discourse.
