Hitting out at DMK over its leader Dayanidhi Maran's using "insulting words" against Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said the remarks reflected the character of the ruling party in the state and that "arrogance is against the great culture of Tamil Nadu".
Addressing an election rally in Mettupalayam in Coimbatore, the Prime Minister said those practising family politics stop young leaders from moving forward.
"DMK is a party that is immersed in the arrogance of power. When a senior leader of DMK was asked about our young leader Annamalai, he said in arrogance 'who is he, who is that' and used insulting words. This arrogance is against Tamil Nadu's great culture. The people of Tamil Nadu will never like this arrogance," PM Modi said.
"For a former police officer, for a youth coming from a backward class, for someone who works so much at the ground level, the words that have been used by DMK, these are its real character. Those who do family politics stop young leaders from moving forward," he added.
In an interview with India Today, Dayanidhi Maran, a former union minister, sought to dismiss the challenge posed by Annamalai in the Lok Sabha polls.
"Who's that? Oh, the joker, you are talking about the joker...Are you overestimating, he is a lame-duck," Mr Maran said.
He was asked a question about the "fear of Annamali" and if he is the rising star of the BJP.
Annamalai is fighting the Lok Sabha polls from Coimbatore. DMK has fielded Ganapathy P Rajkumar against him.
Dayanidhi Maran is contesting Lok Sabha polls from Chennai Central.
All 39 seats in Tamil Nadu will vote in a single phase on April 19 in Lok Sabha polls that will be held in seven phases. Votes will be counted on June 4 . In 2019, the DMK-led alliance swept the Lok Sabha polls in Tamil Nadu, winning 38 of 39 seats.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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