Minister of Youth Welfare and Sports Development, Udhayanidhi Stalin, recently embarked on a one-day visit to Salem, where he attended various events and spoke at a party meeting in Veerapandi. During his visit, he discussed several key issues, celebrated his party’s successes, and took aim at political opponents.

Stalin began by highlighting the DMK’s achievements during its two-and-a-half-year tenure in the state, particularly focusing on the upcoming DMK youth conference in Salem. He expressed pride in the party’s governance, emphasizing that this conference would serve as a testament to their successful leadership.

In a sharp critique of the AIADMK, Stalin remarked that their recent conference in Madurai had garnered attention primarily due to the poor quality of food served to attendees.

A significant portion of Udhayanidhi Stalin’s address was dedicated to the contentious issue of the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET). He asserted that the AIADMK, during the tenures of late Chief Ministers M. Karunanidhi and J. Jayalalithaa, had not implemented NEET in Tamil Nadu. He claimed that the introduction of NEET by the AIADMK government in later years had resulted in the tragic deaths of 22 people, including NEET aspirants and their parents. This claim served as a justification for the DMK’s opposition to NEET. He announced their plan to collect 50 lakh signatures against NEET within 50 days and extended an invitation to AIADMK leader Edappadi K. Palaniswami to join their anti-NEET campaign.

Udhayanidhi also took a swipe at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for failing to fulfill its election promise of depositing Rs 15 lakh in every citizen’s bank account over the last nine years. He contrasted this with Chief Minister M.K. Stalin’s achievement of providing financial assistance to all women in the state, highlighting the DMK’s commitment to fulfilling its promises.

In a political jab, Stalin criticized the AIADMK for its contradictory actions. He noted that although the AIADMK had declared the termination of its alliance with the BJP, a former minister from the party had traveled to Delhi for a meeting with BJP leaders.

He concluded his speech by pointing out the contrast in responses to the comments made by Governor R.N. Ravi. While DMK party leaders were actively engaging with the Governor’s statements, AIADMK party leaders had remained conspicuously silent, he added.