Centre punishing Tamil Nadu by not releasing funds: Udhayanidhi

Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin on Sunday (April 5, 2026) accused the BJP-led government at the Centre of punishing Tamil Nadu by not releasing funds required for the State and not announcing new schemes for it even in the Union Budget.

Instead of standing with Tamil Nadu, which was at the forefront in development, the Centre was attempting to impose Hindi in the State, Mr. Udhayanidhi Stalin alleged while campaigning at Viralimalai and Pudukottai Assembly constituencies in the district garnering support for the party candidates.

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Realising that the DMK would not allow the BJP to gain a foothold in Tamil Nadu, it was attempting to sneak into Tamil Nadu by wearing the AIADMK mask. Prime Minister Modi was trying to remote control Tamil Nadu using AIADMK leader Edappadi Palaniswami. However, Tamil Nadu “could not be controlled” by Delhi, and this should be proved during the upcoming election, he said.

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Accusing AIADMK general secretary of remaining a “number one slave” of Prime Minister Modi, he alleged that Mr. Palaniswami would carry out whatever the Prime Minister wanted. Mr. Palaniswami had given up Tamil Nadu’s rights while he was the Chief Minister, he claimed. 

The upcoming election was a fight between the “Delhi team” consisting of Prime Minister Modi and supported by Mr. Palaniswami, and the “Tamil Nadu team” led by the DMK, he said. 

Listing out the schemes implemented during the five-year DMK regime, he claimed that Tamil Nadu was in the forefront in growth and development. The DMK government was the one which had catered to the requirements of all sections of the society in the last five years, Mr. Udhayanidhi Stalin further said.