Stalin replies to Tamil Nadu CM's 'where is your father' jibe: 'I am in people's hearts'

DMK president M.K. Stalin on Thursday responded to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay's remark of 'Where is your father?' during a wedding reception in Tirurvarur. Stalin said he may not be physically present in the Assembly but remains in the hearts of the people.

Stalin was referring to the Chief Minister's response to questions raised by Leader of the Opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin in the Assembly. Udhayanidhi had raised issues including power outages and delayed release of water from the Mettur dam for delta farmers. In reply, the Chief Minister had said, 'Where is your father?'

Stalin said he can be found in the files of welfare schemes such as the Kalaignar Magalir Urimai scheme, which provides ₹1,000 per month to women, the Pudhumai Penn scheme for girl students, and the Tamil Pudhalvan scheme for boy students. 'You can find Stalin there,' he said.

Quoting former Chief Minister C.N. Annadurai, Stalin said that as long as the women's rights grant scheme exists, he will remain the 'Chief Minister'. 'Anna once said, I have named the State Tamil Nadu. Whether I am in power or not, as long as the name Tamil Nadu is uttered, my name will endure. Similarly, as long as the women's rights grant scheme exists, I am the Chief Minister,' the DMK leader added.