Ahead of Tamil Nadu’s sixteenth legislative assembly election, DMK’s Youth Wing secretary Udhayanidhi Stalin went on a brazen rant against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Speaking at an election rally, the son of DMK chief MK Stalin, accused the Prime Minister of ‘killing’ the late BJP veteran leaders Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley. He said that the two BJP stalwarts died due to “torture” and “pressure” exerted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Showcasing utter political frustration, Udhayanidhi Stalin said during an election campaign rally on Wednesday: “There was a person called Sushma Swaraj. She died due to the pressure exerted by Modi. There was a person called Arun Jaitley. He died due to the torture by Modi.”
Udhayanidhi’s comment came after PM Modi, while campaigning at Dharapuram for BJP state president L Murugan Tuesday, alleged that many senior DMK leaders were sidelined due to the entry of Stalin’s son into the party fold.
Hitting back at the Prime Minister, Udhayanidhi added: “Modi had come here yesterday and accused that I had taken a shortcut route… Who is saying that? Being the Chief Minister of Gujarat, we know that how Modi sidelined many… I have the list”. He then went on to name party veterans LK Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, former BJP leader Yashwant Sinha, late Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley.
The DMK leader furthered that unlike the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and AIADMK leader Edappadi K Palaniswami, he was not scared of PM Narendra Modi. He dared the prime minisiter to interact with the electorate of the poll-bound state.
These distasteful remarks of MK Stalin’s son have miffed the family of the late BJP leaders Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley, who took to social media to slam the DMK leader.
Daughter’s of the late BJP leaders slam DMK leader Udhayanidhi Stalin
While Sushma Swaraj’s daughter Bansuri Swaraj hit back calling Udhayanidhi’s comments “despicable and disrespecting”, Sonali Jaitley Bakhshi, the daughter of the former Finance and Corporate Affairs minister slammed the DMK leader by calling him a “liar”.
“Udhayanidhi Ji please do not use my mother’s memory for your poll propaganda! Your statements are false! PM Narendra Modi Ji bestowed utmost respect and honour on my mother. In our darkest hour PM and party (BJP) stood by us rock solid! Your statement has hurt us,” Bansuri Swaraj wrote tagging MK Stalin and the BJP’s official handle.
@udhaystalin ji please do not use my Mother’s memory for your poll propaganda! Your statements are false! PM @Narendramodi ji bestowed utmost respect and honour on my Mother. In our darkest hour PM and Party stood by us rock solid! Your statement has hurt us @mkstalin @BJP4India
— Bansuri Swaraj (@BansuriSwaraj) April 1, 2021
Meanwhile, Sonali Jaitley Bakhshi took to Twitter to write: “@Udhaystalin ji, I know there is election pressure – but I won’t stay silent when you lie and disrespect my father’s memory. Dad @arunjaitley and Shri @narendramodi ji shared a special bond that was beyond politics. I pray you are lucky enough to know such friendship,” she tweeted.
.@Udhaystalin ji, I know there is election pressure – but I won’t stay silent when you lie & disrespect my father’s memory.
— Sonali Jaitley Bakhshi (@sonalijaitley) April 1, 2021
Dad @arunjaitley & Shri @narendramodi ji shared a special bond that was beyond politics. I pray you are lucky enough to know such friendship…@BJP4India
The daughters of the BJP stalwarts demanded that Udhayanidhi Stalin must apologise for dragging their late parent’s names in his poll propaganda.
Both, late Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley were among the senior-most BJP leaders of their time and held top portfolios in the Narendra Modi government. They were also part of the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government.
In 2016, Sushma Swaraj had a kidney transplant and later opted out of contesting the 2019 Lok Sabha polls due to health complications. She breathed her last on August 6, 2019.
Arun Jaitley also had opted out of contesting the 2019 Lok Sabha elections due to his prolonged illness. He died on August 24, 2019, at the age of 66.
