Key Points

Speaking to reporters at the Chennai airport, she said that if late DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi was alive, he would have maintained a cordial relationship with the Centre in the interest of Tamil Nadu.

"Karunanidhi had allied with the BJP in the past and would have extended cooperation even without a formal alliance if it benefited the state," she said.

"Stalin, who claims to follow in his father's footsteps, should introspect before constantly opposing the Centre," she said.

Tamilisai criticised CM Stalin's frequent letters to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and protests by the DMK-led government, questioning the justification behind such opposition.

"What injustice has the Union government done to Tamil Nadu? The DMK, which has failed to deliver in the past four years, is suddenly rushing to conduct welfare camps just ahead of elections," she said.

Highlighting civic issues, she pointed to the "poor" maintenance of the Poondi reservoir and garbage "mismanagement" in areas like Velachery, which she said are affecting the daily lives of Chennai residents.

"People deserve better. The state government has failed to address even basic issues like sanitation," she said.

Responding to expelled AIADMK leader and former Chief Minister O Panneerselvam's comment that BJP state president Nainar Nagenthiran did not respond to his calls, Tamilisai said, "OPS should have exercised greater political caution. Our party leaders are honest, and we do not accept his (OPS') claims."

She also slammed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, ridiculing his frequent statements.

"Rahul Gandhi says the economy is dead, the Election Commission is dead. Before talking about others, he should first explain whether Congress is still alive."

Tamilisai further criticised actor-politician Kamal Haasan's remarks on honour killings and asked what the so-called Dravidian model had achieved in curbing such crimes during its decades of governance.

She accused those who oppose the AIADMK-BJP alliance but align with the DMK of betraying their ideology.

"Switching sides for political gain shows a lack of commitment to one's principles," she added.

- IANS