Chennai,  Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin had set a new benchmark in inclusive politics by accommodating former Health Minister and AIADMK leader C. Vijayabhaskar in a 13-member-committee of legislators to combat Covid-19. But that did not stop him from taking issue with the opposition party's claims.

Stalin, after assuming office, reached out to opposition parties to set up the committee with legislators from across the political spectrum. The development was hailed and the Chief Minister noted that the presence of the former Health Minister would provide support to the government in its fight against Covid.

However, this did not stop Stalin from openly contradicting the claims made by the AIADMK leadership including former Chief Minister K. Palaniswami that his government had a better track record of containing Covid-19. Stalin said that it was the DMK government under his leadership that has contained Covid and the AIADMK government was found wanting in several crucial moments during the first wave of the pandemic.

State Health Minister Ma Subramanian also came out heavily against the previous AIADMK government in the matter of containing the deadly pandemic.

The sudden change by the DMK leadership in the house and outside is seen by political observers as a calculated political move to capture the public mind and to discredit the opposition.

Talking to IANS, Madurai based journalist and political observer S. Sivashankar said: "Stalin is a shrewd politician and he knows that he had to take credit for the decreasing number of Covid-19 cases and that he should not provide space to the AIADMK in this game of one-upmanship. While he wants to project an image of a politician with inclusiveness, at crucial junctures, he wants to break free of that image and cater to his cadre base as well as send a strong message to the people that it was his leading role that helped contain the disease."

With the assembly now adjourned, the verbal duel which took place in the house between the DMK and the AIADMK is expected to continue on the streets.