Chennai: Hitting out at AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami for terming his proposed participation in the Niti Aayog meeting as a sign of “surrender” to BJP, chief minister M K Stalin said his New Delhi visit was only to argue for Tamil Nadu’s rights and not to bow down to Union govt. In a statement on Wednesday, Stalin said he will strongly advocate for the state’s fair share of financial rights and allocations at the Niti Aayog meeting in Delhi on May 24.“Why does this hurt the opposition leader who has the habit of falling at the feet of others be it Amit Shah or Sasikala,” Stalin asked. Stalin’s statement was in response to Palaniswami alleging that Stalin who had in the past refused to participate in Niti Aayog meetings had decided to attend this time because of fear over Enforcement Directorate searches targeting Tasmac. EPS said Stalin had prepared himself to wave the “white flag as a sign of surrender”.Stalin said, “My hand holds the red-and-black flag of Dravidian ideology, the hand which was lifted by Periyar and held by Kalaignar. I will carry only the flag of justice and rights,” he asserted. “I will not crawl,” he added. Stalin said it was Palaniswami, who, despite declaring that he would not ally with BJP, waved the “white flag” after a “single raid” and joined the BJP front. “Is he not ashamed to say that I am holding the white flag?” he asked. Stalin said even now he was stridently fighting for the rights of Tamil Nadu. “Even now, we have moved the Supreme Court for Tamil Nadu’s rights. I stand firm in my ideology and will continue to fight for the rightful financial dues of our state,” he said. Palaniswami retorted with a strongly worded statement, alleging that Stalin has no moral right to speak about fighting for state rights as the DMK has a history of compromising TN welfare from Katchatheevu to Cauvery issues. “It was you who pledged TN rights from Mekedatu to Mullaperiyar for the sake of alliance,” EPS said.EPS’s statement invited a swift rebuttal from state natural resources minister S Regupathy, who charged that it was “a curse for TN” to have an opposition leader who doesn’t know that the CM was attending Niti Aayog meet and was not calling on Amit Shah.