DMK leader Udhayanidhi Stalin has asked party workers to counter Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief Vijay’s campaign slogan with a new chant targeting the rival party during election rallies and door-to-door campaigning.
Speaking at a party meeting on September 27, Udhayanidhi asked DMK cadres to respond to Vijay’s repeated slogan, “Om Sakthi, Parasakthi… DMK oru Theeya Sakthi” (DMK is an evil force), with “Om Kali, Jai Kali… TVK oru Odugali” (TVK is a runaway).
Udhayanidhi said Vijay had been using the slogan against the DMK for the past two years and that party workers now had an opportunity to respond.
“For the past two years, wherever he went, he consistently invoked ‘Om Sakthi, Parasakthi’ to target us. At that time, they were in the opposition and we were in power, and we listened to what was said. Now we have an opportunity to give it back,” he said.
He then led party workers in raising the new slogan and asked them to use it during campaign programmes.
“Don’t even bother mentioning his name. Just say ‘Om Kali Jai Kali’ along with their party’s name. In every campaign rally, whenever you meet the public, keep repeating this and register it firmly in the minds of the people,” Udhayanidhi said.
He also attacked the rival party over the Karur stampede, in which 41 people died. Udhayanidhi alleged that the opposition leadership had avoided answering questions from the media and the public over the incident.
Udhayanidhi asked DMK functionaries to take the counter-slogan beyond public meetings and use it during door-to-door campaigning as the election campaign gathers pace.
The remarks came as the political contest between the DMK and TVK intensifies, with both sides stepping up their attacks ahead of the upcoming polls. Recent reports have described Udhayanidhi’s “Om Kali, Jai Kali” remark as a direct counter to Vijay’s earlier “Om Sakthi, Parasakthi” slogan.