TIRUCHY: Chief Minister MK Stalin on Monday said the upcoming Assembly election would be a contest between Tamil Nadu and the NDA's "coerced front" formed out of fear of central agencies like the IT department and the CBI.
The BJP thinks they can rule Tamil Nadu from Delhi using puppets, but the people will give them a fitting reply, ensuring a grand victory for the DMK-led alliance, he said.
Addressing a large gathering at the Vellum Tamil Pengal women’s conference of the DMK in Thanjavur, Stalin accused the BJP-led Union government of failing to ensure women’s safety, particularly in Manipur, and rejected Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent remarks that Tamil Nadu was unsafe for women.
Citing a national survey, the Chief Minister said Tamil Nadu ranked as the safest State for women, with seven cities figuring among the top 25 of 125 surveyed cities. He alleged that the “double engine government” had failed to restore peace in Manipur despite more than 260 deaths, 3,000 injuries and over one lakh people being displaced since 2023.
Stalin also targeted the NDA alliance in Tamil Nadu, claiming it was forged under “pressure and threats,” and said even AIADMK cadres were unhappy with the tie-up. He alleged that AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami had entered into the alliance to “escape from cases.”
Highlighting his government’s welfare initiatives, Stalin said 1.30 crore women were benefiting from the Magalir Urimai Thogai scheme, along with free bus travel under Magalir Vidiyal Payanam, helping women achieve financial independence. He said more than 50% of representatives in local bodies were now women.
Recalling the Dravidian movement’s legacy, he said women’s rights, abolition of caste discrimination and social justice had been its core principles, from the Justice Party granting women voting rights to Periyar introducing self-respect marriages and M Karunanidhi enabling women’s participation in local governance through self-help groups.
Calling the election a “democratic war,” Stalin urged party cadres, especially women, to act as frontline campaigners, spread awareness of government schemes and counter what he termed “false narratives” of the BJP.