Celebrating Udhyanidhi Stalin’s birthday, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) has run eight full page ads in various leading newspapers, including The Hindu and Times of India, hailing him as the ‘youth icon’. The minister for Youth Welfare and Sports Development, who also serves as the party’s youth wing secretary, is turning 47 years old on Monday, November 27. An ongoing bike rally flagged off in Kanyakumari by the birthdaybody himself, will be reaching Salem where the youth wing conference is also set to take place.

The ads also include puff pieces commemorating Udhayanidhi ‘achievements’, particularly from the time he was appointed a cabinet minister in 2022. “His simplicity, humbleness and generosity in helping the needy school and college students have earned him an indomitable position among youth in the party,” one such ad reads. While another claims that Udhyanidhi is ushering in a “new epoch in leadership”.  

The ads also highlight Udhyanidhi’s campaigns against NEET that DMK promised to ban in the state ahead of the 2021 Assembly elections and his work on some special projects, which are also headed by the minister.

 The ads also take care to establish the lineage of DMK leadership within the family, hailing Udhayanidhi as, “The warrior who raised his voice for Tamil rights, Muthamizh Ariginar’s [late chief minister M Karunanidhi] grandson” and as the ‘Tamil Magan’ (literally Tamil son) of the ‘Thalaivar Thalapathy’ (CM MK Stalin). 

While the ads predominantly focus on the state government’s welfare schemes and Udhyanidhi’s own work in the matter, it interestingly does not make any mention of the Sanatana Dharma controversy. Meanwhile, birthday greetings have been pouring in for the minister on social media.