Pulling in a lady: Annamalai's veiled attack on Udhayanidhi over Trisha remark

Tamil Nadu politician and former BJP leader K Annamalai hit out at Opposition parties in the state as he welcomed the first 100 days of the CM Vijay-led TVK government. Speaking more broadly about the political discourse in Tamil Nadu, Annamalai said that "some politicians" are still not ready to listen to the change that voters in the state have spoken about. Some people, Annamalai said, still want to stay in the old ways of "abusing," "pulling in a lady," "pulling a mother." While speaking at a session at the India Today Group’s Tamil Nadu Roundtable, he said, "Some political leaders dynasts don't understand the ground has shifted."While Annamalai did not say so explicitly, his comments seemed to be a reference to the recent controversy over Leader of Opposition Udayanidhi Stalin's recent remarks that were interpreted by many as a distasteful reference to CM Vijay and his friendship with actor Trisha.Udhayanidhi's comments, made while he was criticising the Vijay government’s alleged inaction in the Cauvery water dispute, had caused uproar and even led to him being detained by the Tamil Nadu Police for a day. Annamalai also addressed the broader topic of discourse in Tamil Nadu politics when asked about being labelled as the "B team of BJP." He said, "It is unfortunate in Tamil Nadu that anyone who starts fresh is called the B team of BJP." Annamalai also referred to how Vijay and his TVK were also got that label. Annamalai's comments came over three months after Vijay and his TVK stunned politicians and observers by winning 108 seats in the 234-member Tamil Nadu assembly and dislodged the DMK from power. - EndsPublished On: Aug 17, 2026 12:49 IST