NEW DELHI: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK President MK Stalin’s decision to join Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Voter Adhikar Yatra’ in Bihar has triggered a political firestorm, drawing sharp criticism from the BJP and social media commentators who have accused him of hypocrisy and a dynastic agenda.
याद है या भूल गए बिहारियों? pic.twitter.com/zVUhtOUAzr
— Kreately.in (@KreatelyMedia) August 27, 2025
The visit, which also saw the participation of RJD leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav and Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi, was framed by the DMK and its allies as a crucial show of solidarity against what they allege are attempts by the BJP to undermine democratic processes. However, critics were quick to point out the stark contrast between the DMK’s long-standing anti-North Indian and anti-Hindi stance and its leaders’ presence in the Hindi heartland to seek political alliances.
❌ The statements made are Misleading and Baseless#ECIFactCheck
✅Read in detail in the image attached 👇 https://t.co/gRVakP610s pic.twitter.com/gKU9a1gB0t
— Election Commission of India (@ECISVEEP) August 3, 2025
Addressing a gathering, Stalin, accompanied by his sister and DMK MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi, launched a scathing attack on the BJP. Speaking in Tamil from a prepared script, he accused the ruling party of making elections a “mockery” through alleged large-scale irregularities in the revision of electoral rolls.
STORY | Deletion of voters' names in Bihar worse than terrorism: Tamil Nadu CM Stalin
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Wednesday asserted that the INDIA bloc will win the Bihar assembly polls "if the elections were free and fair", and described deletion of voters' names… pic.twitter.com/G60PzWQk87
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) August 27, 2025
Stalin alleged that the BJP was behind the deletion of nearly 65 lakh names from the voters’ list in Bihar, a move he termed a “democratic massacre” and “worse than terrorism.” In a dramatic gesture of solidarity, he stated, “I have travelled nearly 2,000 kilometres to stand with the people of Bihar.” He expressed confidence that the I.N.D.I.Alliance would win the upcoming Bihar assembly polls if the elections were held “free and fair.”
The visit comes amidst an ongoing controversy in Tamil Nadu, where Stalin had previously raised concerns about a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, claiming it was an attempt to include 6.5 lakh migrant workers from Bihar into the state’s voter list. This, he had warned, would “alter the political landscape.” In a related comment, former Union Minister P. Chidambaram had also posted on X, raising alarm over the alleged illegal addition of voters in Tamil Nadu.
Critics Allege Hypocrisy and Dynastic Politics
Stalin’s visit was swiftly condemned by his political opponents, who highlighted the DMK’s history of derogatory remarks against Biharis. Critics pointed to past comments from senior DMK leaders who allegedly referred to Biharis as “poorly educated pan chewers and unclean lots” who are only fit to sell “pani poori” and clean toilets.
Former Tamil Nadu BJP chief K. Annamalai shared a video compilation on X with Hindi subtitles, showcasing what he called “uncouth remarks” by DMK and its allies against people from Bihar. He challenged Stalin to “proudly repeat every one of those insults” in front of the very people he and his party members had mocked.
TN CM Thiru @mkstalin avl is in Bihar today. Here is an evergreen compilation of his, his party members', and his alliance partners' uncouth remarks about our Bihari brothers and sisters.
Hope he takes the stage with Thiru @RahulGandhi avl and proudly repeats every one of those… pic.twitter.com/bE3I1ykkGO
— K.Annamalai (@annamalai_k) August 27, 2025
BJP’s national spokesperson C.R. Kesavan also weighed in, tweeting that Stalin’s presence in Bihar was a “hypocritical” move, given his past avoidance of wishing Tamils on Hindu festivals and the “badnaam Bihar” narrative propagated by his party.
#WATCH | Chennai: On Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin’s Bihar visit, BJP Leader CR Kesavan says, "Will MK Stalin, who is joining Rahul Gandhi on his 'Samvidhan Badnaam Yatra,' wish the people of Bihar on the auspicious occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi? Because MK Stalin, in the past, has… pic.twitter.com/oUOGc485Zv
— ANI (@ANI) August 27, 2025
Social media was abuzz with comments questioning the DMK’s shift in stance. One user pointed out the irony of the party’s “Hindi Theriyathu Poda” (I do not know Hindi, go) campaign, which involved DMK leaders wearing t-shirts with the slogan, now campaigning in a Hindi-speaking state. Another user tweeted, “DMK has mocked Biharis for years…Now, Rahul Gandhi stands with Stalin, campaigning in Bihar for elections. Will Bihar forget these insults?”
DMK has mocked Biharis for years, calling them less intelligent, blaming them for job losses.
Now, Rahul Gandhi stands with Stalin, campaigning in Bihar for elections.
Will Bihar forget these insults? pic.twitter.com/hX2hB8CEcH
— BJP (@BJP4India) August 28, 2025
The visit was not without its share of unscripted moments that further fueled the critics’ narrative. During his speech, Stalin made a notable gaffe, referring to Rahul Gandhi as “my dear brother Rajiv Gandhi.” A social media user, ‘Sanghi Prince’, posted about the incident, sarcastically commenting on the “dynasty always kills talented people from emerging” and questioning Stalin’s fitness to endorse a leader he could not even name correctly.
Talent = 0%
Family = 100% pic.twitter.com/0Se6LEJCZq— Sanghi Prince 🚩 (@SanghiPrince) August 27, 2025
Annamalai also commented on the gaffe, tweeting that Stalin’s government “thrives on patchwork and deception,” and his misidentification of Rahul Gandhi despite reading from a prepared note was “even more telling.”
The composition of the group—Stalin with his sister Kanimozhi, and Rahul Gandhi with his sister Priyanka Gandhi—was also fodder for critics who labeled the event a “political family gathering of sons and daughters”
Despite the criticism, Stalin maintained a defiant tone. In a series of posts on X, he declared Bihar the “epicentre of India’s democratic battle.”
He tweeted, “Standing with my brothers @RahulGandhi, @YadavTejashwi, Comrade @Dipankar_CPIML and beloved sister @PriyankaGandhi. I declared that BJP cannot crush people’s power by deleting voters or hijacking institutions.” He added, “Bihar is where the #INDIA bloc was born and Bihar is where #BJP’s arrogance will be buried. This is the spark that will light the next chapter of India’s democracy.”
He also posted a more poetic message about his arrival, stating, “Touchdown Bihar… the land of respected Lalu Prasad Ji greets me with fire in its eyes, the soil heavy with every stolen vote.”
The visit, however, has left a section of critics skeptical of its impact. They argue that the negative optics and historical baggage of the DMK’s remarks on Biharis will likely have a “negative impact” on the fortunes of the Congress and RJD, who they claim are “in blink of dying.” They dismiss the gathering as an assembly of “all jokers with corrupt political backgrounds” who do not know anything.
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