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Udhayanidhi Stalin: Many facets of DMK's rising son, beyond controversies

He is a champion of Dravidian ideals, Tamil cinema mogul and more

In the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Udhayanidhi (left), along with his father M K Stalin, led the DMK’s campaign and helped secure a clean sweep for the INDIA bloc in the state
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In the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Udhayanidhi (left), along with his father M K Stalin, led the DMK’s campaign and helped secure a clean sweep for the INDIA bloc in the state | Photo: X/@Udhaystalin

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Until September 2023, Udhayanidhi Stalin, the newly appointed deputy chief minister of Tamil Nadu, was little known north of the Vindhyas, aside from his recognition as the son of Chief Minister Muthuvel Karunanidhi Stalin.

That changed with a single remark about Sanatana Dharma — to “eradicate” it — on September 2 last year, which thrust the 46-year-old into the national political limelight. The comment sparked a political firestorm that even drew in Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

As the BJP turned its guns on Udhayanidhi, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam’s (DMK)’s rising star later clarified

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