No one from North has won in TN: Udhayanidhi

CHENNAI: State Sports Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin on Tuesday informed the State Assembly that no one from the north has won in Tamil Nadu because of the DMK.

Replying to the debate on the demand for grants for the sports department in the State Assembly, Udhayanidhi, who opened his speech with a seemingly veiled dig at the BJP trying to make inroads in the Dravidian hinterland, said, "The political spectrum of Tamil Nadu has a long and illustrious history. Since the age of Cheras, Chozhas and Pandiyas, only Tamils have played and won here. No one has come from the north and won here. Tamil Nadu and its people have that speciality. Even now, some people think of winning Tamil Nadu. They might succeed in the game in any other state in the union of India, but definitely not in Tamil Nadu."

Cricket hangover grips sports min

As if bitten by the cricket bug in the middle of the IPL season, Udhay said that the reason (the resistance to the north) was the presence of a "strong team" called DMK led by its 'captain' M K Stalin. Using cricket as an analogy to explain the ideological war between them and the BJP, he said that they were trained by exemplary 'coaches' Thanthai Periyar, Perarigna Anna, Kalaignar Karunanidhi and Perasiriyar Anbazhagan. "No other team has such exemplary coaches. Periyar taught us which team is opposed to us and when we must fight. Anna taught us how disciplined and united we must be in the battle. Kalaignar taught us which delivery to hit or not hit. Our 'captain' chief minister M K Stalin has taught us when to play defence and when to play offence and hit a six. The CM does not stop with teaching. He hit a six yesterday too, " Udhayanidhi reasoned, describing the Governor's assent to the Online Gambling Bill and exemption of the three coal blocks in Delta districts as offensive 'sixes' hit by the CM.