Not fit to lead: TVK minister challenges Udhayanidhi to prove DMK support

Tamil Nadu Law Minister Nirmal Kumar accused the DMK of politicising NEET protests and questioned Udhayanidhi Stalin's leadership credentials. He also challenged Udhayanidhi to hold an internal vote on whether he or Kanimozhi should lead the party, while asserting that Tamil Nadu cannot bypass NEET through state legislation.Tamil Nadu Law Minister Nirmal Kumar questioned Udhayanidhi Stalin's role in the NEET paper leak protests in the state and claimed that he is not even fit to lead his party. Kumar said that if a vote were held on who is fit to lead the party, the outcome would already be a foregone conclusion among its workers.Wondering whether the DMK leaders have truly accepted his leadership, Kumar said, “Udhayanidhi should first call the party office-bearers and ask whether he has the qualification to lead the party. He should hold a vote. To go a step further, the voting should be on who should lead the DMK founded by Anna -- Udhayanidhi or Kanimozhi. There is no need for Udhayanidhi to even release the results, as his partymen already know about his capacity.”Last week, Udhayanidhi targeted what he called the Vijay government's "double standards" in Tamil Nadu for arresting SFI and DYFI members who were protesting against the NEET-UG paper leak in Chennai in solidarity with the Cockroach Janata Party's march in Delhi."Arresting those protesting in Tamil Nadu in support of the youth fighting in Delhi under the leadership of CJP clearly reveals the ruling party’s double standards on the NEET issue.” “The government must immediately stop this suppression, which treats protests against the Union BJP government as protests against itself,” he added, demanding the immediate release of the ones arrested.Tamil Nadu Minister R Nirmal Kumar has accused the DMK of trying to hijack and politicise the ongoing student protests against NEET. He alleged that the party was entering student movements for political reasons and said students themselves had chased away DMK workers who arrived wearing party-branded T-shirts. Speaking to reporters in Chennai, Kumar also said a state law by itself could not override NEET regulations. Reiterating the ruling TVK government's opposition to the entrance examination, he said the government's stand had been clear from the beginning and added that legislative steps on the issue would not help students.Kumar said, "The DMK is entering student movements to hijack them, which is a cheap political act. Students themselves chased away DMK workers who turned up wearing party-branded T-shirts. They must stop such disgraceful activities immediately," he alleged.He also took aim at Udhayanidhi, saying, "First, Udhayanidhi should introspect. Udhayanidhi has doubts, and that is why he is involved in some Gen Z work," he further said.On NEET, the state Minister for Energy Resources and Law said, "The Tamil Nadu government cannot bypass NEET simply by passing a state law, as central laws cannot be overridden that way. Our stand has been clear from the beginning -- we do not want NEET." He dismissed the political rhetoric around the issue and described the government's legislative moves as "eye-wash" that would do little to help students.Kumar's remarks centred on two points: his allegation that the DMK was using the student protests for political purposes, and his assertion that a state law alone could not set aside NEET, even as the ruling TVK government continued to oppose the examination.- EndsPublished By: Sayan GangulyPublished On: Jul 27, 2026 13:07 IST