Salem (Tamil Nadu), Nov 17 (PTI) Slamming Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin and Deputy CM Udhayanidhi for their strong criticism against him, AIADMK chief Edappadi K Palaniswami on Sunday asked them to 'control their tongues' and said his growth was only due to his hardwork.
Both CM Stalin and his son Udhayanidhi must not forget that they are in power as they are the heirs of late DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi, Palaniswami, leader of the opposition alleged at a party event here to felicitate him.
The AIADMK top leader said 'father praises the son and son praises the father,' which was a farce that reflected the sorry state of affairs under the DMK regime.
Hitting out at Udhayanidhi for 'advising' the AIADMK, he said that the Deputy CM should not forget that he was a "poisonous mushroom that has popped up today following yesterday's rain."
He wanted to know on what basis Udhayanidhi was appointed the deputy chief minister and wondered if he had gone to jail after taking part in DMK's protests.
So many people worked for the DMK day and night, he said, and wanted to know if this was not known to the DMK brass when it considered candidates for promotion. He also alleged that female heirs of Karunanidhi do not get the opportunity to get into governance or positions of power as it was the domain of male heirs.
"So, Mr Udhayanidhi, Mr Stalin, you need control your tongues. I have grown through hardwork, I did not come to office like you through the identity of Karunanidhi," he claimed, and accused the top two leaders of the ruling party of dynastic politics.
The DMK top leaders had recently alleged that Palaniswami crawled like a cockroach in front of former AIADMK interim chief V K Sasikala (later expelled) to become the chief minister in 2017.
Hitting out at the father-son duo for continuous criticism aimed at him and his party, the AIADMK, he warned them of continuous 'appropriate response'.
Palaniswami said he has been slogging for the AIADMK for 50 years and in his long career, he had held several public offices. It includes helming the Salem district cooperative milk federation and getting accolades at the national level for performance. His growth in public life was gradual and it happened over a long period of time, he said.
It may be recalled that Karunanidhi's daughter Kanimozhi is a Lok Sabha MP from Tamil Nadu.