Voters in Tamil Nadu have been surprised by the aggressive campaigning launched by Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami who is known for his reticent nature and little public exposure. Palaniswamy, who hit the campaign trail from Chennai since Wednesday, has taken the war to the enemy camp by openly challenging Leader of the Opposition MK Stalin, who heads the DMK, for an open debate.

Palaniswamy has taken over from where Jayalalithaa left. Though he is miles away from the charisma and exuberance of the late leader, Palaniswamy minces no words while attacking the Opposition.

“Let Stalin and the DMK tell who got the Cauvery Water Dispute Tribunal award incorporated in India Gazette. Though the Tribunal delivered the award in 2007, it was our Amma who got it published in the India Government Gazette. The DMK which was enjoying the fruits of power in New Delhi from 1998 to 2013 did nothing for getting the tribunal award gazetted. The party was squabbling for money spinning ministries at the Centre,” thundered Palaniswamy.

At Villupuram where he campaigned for the PMK candidate, Palaniswamy was at his best interacting with the crowd asking them questions. “Please tell me an instance where this Government has failed in protecting and preserving the rights of the people of Tamil Nadu. Do you think there is any material in the allegations levelled against us by the DMK?” asked the Chief Minister to which the crowd roared back with a big no.

Edappadi Palaniswamy hails from Salem and was a Minister in the Jayalalithaa Cabinet for long before he became the Chief Minister following the Supreme Court upholding the conviction and sentencing of Sasikala in the disproportionate assets case.

Since then he has come of age and has consolidated his position, said author and commentator T Ramakrishnan, who has been watching his performance for the last three days.

 “He is aggressive now whereas in the Assembly he remains silent and economical with words,” said Ramakrishnan.

Stalin, who was elevated to the post of DMK chief in August 2018 following the death of his father M Karunanidhi, is in his usual style during the campaign days. He wakes up at 5 am and hit the public places whether it is Thurchirapalli or Madurai or Chennai. During the brisk morning walks, the DMK chief exchanges pleasantries with the people out on the road and accepts small cups of tea offered by vendors. Vegetable vendors approach him with complaints that their income has fallen over the last four years.

“Amma, let the elections be over and I’ll do something for you,” said Stalin who was in jeans and T-shirt and looking much younger than his 66 years age.

His rallies resemble musical gala with Stalin himself crooning with old popular numbers immortalised by the MS Viswanathan-TM Sounderarajan team. Once he takes the mike, the whole audience falls silent and then it is Stalin all the way.

“The country has to be saved from the dictatorial regime led by Narendra Modi and Amit Shah. They are trying to saffronise the country so that the RSS could make it a Hindu Rashtra. The sanatana dharma is the biggest threat faced by India and it is our duty to save the country from Modi, Shah and the RSS,” he said while speaking in a public rally to solicit votes for the Secular Progressive Alliance (SPA) candidate at Madurai.

Though both Edappadi Palaniswamy and Stalin may focus on national politics, what bothers both the leaders are the by-election to the 18 Assembly constituencies which are being held simultaneously with the Lok Sabha election. If the AIADMK fails to win at least 10 seats, Tamil Nadu would be for a period of uncertainty. The DMK has levelled a series of allegations against the ruling AIADMK. The onus of proving them wrong lies with the ruling party while the Opposition can relax and watch the embarrassment of the Government with glee.