Stalin warns NDA may rename Tamil Nadu as 'Dakshin Pradesh' if it returns to power
Stalin warns NDA may rename Tamil Nadu as 'Dakshin Pradesh' if it returns to power
Stalin campaigns in Trichy, slams AIADMK-BJP alliance over CAA and warns of 'Dakshin Pradesh' if NDA comes back to power.
In Trichy, Tamil Nadu, DMK chief MK Stalin pressed the case for the Secular Progressive Alliance, insisting that a return to power for the SPA is essential to sustain the state’s growth. He argued that a BJP-led NDA government would threaten Tamil Nadu’s identity and warned voters to defeat the AIADMK-BJP alliance in the upcoming Assembly polls. Stalin’s appeal centered on safeguarding minority rights and Sri Lankan Tamils in the face of national policies he described as discriminatory.
He accused AIADMK and PMK of betraying minorities by backing the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in the Rajya Sabha, even as their leaders flip positions for electoral gain. He challenged Edappadi K. Palaniswami to take a clear public stand on the CAA, noting Palaniswami’s past defenses and later political flip-flops. Stalin pressed the point that Palaniswami’s leadership in the alliance is under a cloud, asking voters if the AIADMK is truly steering the coalition when several smaller parties contest under the BJP’s lotus symbol rather than AIADMK’s two leaves.
Stalin peppered his remarks with a cinematic reference, likening the alliance dynamics to a famous Padayappa scene where the groom wears someone else’s dress, highlighting what he called a lack of genuine leadership in the coalition. He pressed that the alliance’s broader trajectory, including its stance on farm laws and the conduct of remarks about farmers, shows a pattern of compromise with the BJP that must be rejected by Tamil Nadu voters.
The campaign underlined Stalin’s anti-NDA messaging, framing the 2026 elections as a decisive moment for Tamil Nadu’s autonomy and political identity. He urged residents to gift the AIADMK-BJP alliance a second defeat in the Assembly elections and insisted that only a DMK-led government can protect the state’s growth trajectory and social fabric. The speaker emphasized that the fight is about Tamil Nadu’s future, not just party politics, as voters head to ballots in nine Assembly segments in the Trichy district.
