Udhayasuriyan, the DMK MLA from Sankarapuram in Tamil Nadu’s Kallakurichi district, has found himself at the center of a storm after a video of him speaking rudely to a constituent, who questioned him about poor road conditions in the area, went viral.
The incident reportedly took place during the Ondriya Tamil Nadu (Tamil Nadu as One) campaign, a state-wide outreach program organised by the Tamil Nadu government to promote its welfare initiatives.
A local resident confronted Udhayasuriyan while he was distributing posters as part of the campaign. “You haven’t laid roads. What’s the use of these posters you’re distributing?” the resident asked.
The MLA responded with a dismissive hand gesture and used the Tamil word "Poda," which roughly translates to "Get lost." When the resident persisted, Udhayasuriyan warned, "Show me proper respect, or face the consequences." The man insisted he had been respectful in his approach.
The footage of the exchange has sparked widespread outrage, with many condemning the MLA’s behaviour as insensitive and unbecoming of an elected official.
Later, senior DMK leader TKS Elangovan revealed that the man who confronted Udhayasuriyan was actually a fellow party member. "This is why the MLA spoke to him so casually," Elangovan explained. He added that such issues should have been addressed internally rather than in public, which may have influenced the tone of the interaction.
