Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay said on Thursday that his "thick skin" makes him immune to criticism from the opposition, particularly the DMK, enabling him to question their past record "relentlessly".
CM Vijay was campaigning for his TVK Madurantakam candidate, Maragatham Kumaravel, ahead of the October 6 Assembly by-election.
The TVK chief directly addressed the DMK's strategy of dismissing his criticism as outdated. He claimed the opposition party assumes that the younger generation is unaware of corruption scandals from 50 years ago, allowing them to maintain a "Mr Clean" image.
"When I bring up these old stories, they resort to ugly, defamatory attacks against us," Vijay said.
"Have you heard the term thick skin? I am the only example of it in the world. I have seen it all for 30, 35 years before entering this field. So, none of this is new to me. In fact, it feels like this isn't enough; I expect more," he said.
He also threw a direct challenge to the DMK regarding corruption. He stated that his party would never engage in "abusing its official position," referencing the Sarkaria Commission's findings.
"Can you say you have never touched people's money before?" Vijay challenged the DMK. "Can you say you will never touch it in the future. Can you at least say you will not engage in corruption from now on. Can you show your assets before and after entering politics?" he added.
Addressing questions about why he constantly targets DMK chief M K. Stalin, Vijay said, "Some criticise me, saying, 'Why are you always questioning Stalin, sir? Poor man, look what happened to him in this election; he's not even the Leader of the Opposition.' Whether he loses or wins, he is my uncle! He is my sweet uncle!".
He framed the upcoming political contest as a two-way battle again. "The fight is only between two people! One is the pure force TVK! The other is the evil force DMK!".
Vijay also dismissed the political calculations made before the elections, contrasting the "useless arithmetic and mathematics" with the "account of love" he shares with the people of Tamil Nadu.
He firmly stated, "We will not spare the corrupt gang. You can no longer deceive the people of Tamil Nadu, and we won't let you".