Chief Minister M.K. Stalin being greeted by cadre upon his arrival at the party’s youth wing meeting held in Tiruvannamalai on Sunday.
| Photo Credit: C. Venkatachalapathy
DMK president and Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Sunday charged that right-wing and reactionary forces were working with unprecedented vigour following the BJP’s third consecutive victory [at the national level], but asserted neither Union Home Minister Amit Shah nor the entire Sangh Parivar would be able to win in Tamil Nadu.
Reacting to Mr. Shah’s remark that Tamil Nadu would be the BJP’s next target after Bihar [Assembly poll victory], Mr. Stalin said: “This is Tamil Nadu. You do not understand our character,” quoting actor Sathyaraj’s famous dialogue from the film 24 Mani Neram: “En characteriye purinjika mattingireye.”
Accusing the right-wing forces of spreading lies and regressive ideas disguised as honey-coated pills to deceive the people, he said the DMK’s ideology was an antidote to the BJP’s politics.
“When they have no qualms about telling lies, why should we hesitate to speak the truth?” he asked, addressing the DMK youth wing’s North Region meeting in Tiruvannamalai. Mr. Stalin said the DMK not only bore the responsibility of safeguarding Tamil Nadu and its people, but also of protecting India’s integrity and pluralism.
“DMK is the only regional party waging an ideological battle against the BJP, and Tamil Nadu is the only State the party (BJP) has been unable to win. That is why Mr. Amit Shah is irritated. It is not just Amit Shah; even the entire Sanghi army cannot succeed here,” he declared.
Mr. Stalin added, “If anyone approaches us with love, we will embrace them. If they approach us with arrogance, we will not bend, but will face them head-on.”
He repeated the statement to underline that the DMK would not be cowed down by threats from the BJP.
Offering advice to youth wing leaders, Mr. Stalin said history posed a question to every generation, and would forget those who failed to answer it. “However, history will not forget the generation that not only finds the answer but also rewrites the question. You must create history,” he said.
‘Meet the people’
He also responded to party youth wing leader and Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin’s request that more youth be given opportunities in the 2026 Assembly election. “Meet the people and live among them. Do not expect comfort. Only those who work hard will earn a place in the party,” he said.
Earlier, Mr. Udhayanidhi too said his party would not be cowed down by the threats of Mr. Shah, and the cadre in black and red shirts were ready to face such threats on the ground. “When Anna [C.N. Annadurai] launched the DMK in 1949, he said the objective of the party was to oppose the domination of Delhi. Since then, the DMK has always been at the forefront of protecting the rights of Tamil Nadu. Only our enemies have changed. As our Chief Minister has said, Tamil Nadu has always remained out of Delhi’s control,” he said.
Mr. Udhayanidhi remarked while the BJP might be an “elephant on the rampage”, Mr. Stalin was the goad (angusan) that would rein it in. “Both Prime Minister Modi and Mr. Shah know this. Realising they cannot win Tamil Nadu, they have joined hands with old and new slaves to challenge us,” he alleged.
He took a dig at the stampede that occurred when crowds thronged to see actor Vijay, founder of the Tamizhaga Vetrai Kazhagam, in Karur. “An image is being created that the youth are uncontrollable. But the DMK youth wing is different. Nothing can be achieved merely by attracting one crore youth if they lack discipline,” he said.
Published – December 14, 2025 11:11 pm IST
