Tamil Nadu deputy chief minister Udhayanidhi Stalin on Saturday asserted that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) is not intimidated by Enforcement Directorate (ED) raids or Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and will respond to any legal action through lawful means.

Addressing reporters in Pudukkottai, Udhayanidhi – who also serves as the DMK youth wing secretary – said the party will continue to uphold state rights and resist any form of political pressure.

Udhayanidhi Stalin was responding to allegations from the opposition AIADMK, which questioned chief minister MK Stalin’s visit to Delhi to attend the Niti Aayog Governing Council meeting, amid recent ED searches at the offices of state-run liquor corporation TASMAC.

Karnataka, Kerala, West Bengal, Bihar and Puducherry did not attend the 10th Governing Council meeting of Niti Aayog which was chaired by PM Modi on Saturday, CEO BVR Subrahmanyam informed, adding that as many as 31 of 36 states and UTs attended the meet.

“We are not afraid of ED or Modi. The DMK nurtured by Kalaignar (his grandfather and former chief minister M Karunanidhi), is a party with self-respect firmly moored to the principles of Periyar (rationalist leader E V Ramasamy),” news agency PTI quoted Udhayanidhi Stalin.

Defending the chief minister’s trip, Udhayanidhi Stalin said the visit was aimed at securing central funds for Tamil Nadu.

“They (BJP government at the Centre) tried to intimidate us in the past but we refused to yield. Our’s is not a party with a servitude mindset. We will face the cases legally,” he said.

Earlier in the day, the deputy chief minister reviewed various government initiatives at the district collectorate. As part of his visit, he also distributed welfare assistance worth ?40.54 crore to 1,195 beneficiaries. Among the distributed benefits were free house pattas granted to 125 tribal individuals.

TN CM demands 50% share in central taxes

Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin on Saturday sought Centre to enhance the state’s share in central taxes to 50 per cent and also underscored the necessity for a dedicated urban transformation mission in the state.

Speaking at the Niti Aayog meeting in New Delhi, he ‘demanded a rightful 50 per cent share for states in central taxes.’

“We currently receive only 33.16 percent against the promised 41,” the chief minister said in a post on the social media platform X.