DMK president and chief minister MK Stalin has urged the party workers to work hard to win the 2026 assembly elections with the aim to defeat the conspiracies of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and protect Tamil Nadu.
“Tamil Nadu and the DMK are in the forefront to thwart the BJP-led Union government’s conspiracies. So they will create enemies for us in various forms and stage dramas. We have seen this happening for more than 75 years. We have the strength to defeat their strategies. That strength is you (cadre),” Stalin said.
The chief minister made the remarks while speaking via video conference to party workers who ensured that the ruling party won the Erode East by-election held in February. It was an online felicitation organised on Sunday evening by the DMK unit in Erode South district and Stalin’s speech was released on Monday.
“DMK workers have proven that in the land of the self-respect movement founded by EV Ramasamy, revered as Periyar, there is no space for those who indulge in hate-politics,” said Stalin. He spoke of how the DMK had won every election since 2018 in Tamil Nadu with the recent victory being the by-election in Erode East when the state government marks four years in office.
“This was a referendum on our government. In a year, we will face an assembly election. The opposition parties are trying really hard to defeat us and they speak really low of us...” he said.
{{/usCountry}}“This was a referendum on our government. In a year, we will face an assembly election. The opposition parties are trying really hard to defeat us and they speak really low of us...” he said.
{{/usCountry}}Stalin’s remarks come amid his continuous attacks against the BJP on multiple issues such as the three-language formula under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, delimitation, and pending central funds. He has also gathered the support of other southern states in his fight against the BJP for political and fiscal autonomy.
“We have seen historical victories and bad losses but we have neither let it get to our head nor have we let it break us. Instead, you workers have worked harder every election. Let’s create a historical victory in the 2026 assembly election,” Stalin said on Sunday
In response, BJP Tamil Nadu said that the DMK has committed corruption in various spheres during its governance in the last four years and listed schemes such as those meant for sanitary workers and MNERGA.
“I am confident that the NDA will form a government in 2026 in Tamil Nadu,” BJP state president K Annamalai told reporters. Later, he also criticised the DMK government for filing a petition before the Madras high court to amend their plea in the case they filed against the raids of Enforcement Directorate against the Tamil Nadu state marketing corporation (TASMAC).
“Jittery, panicky and desperate. The DMK govt wants the investigative agencies not to question them about state sponsored corruption of over ₹1,000 crore in TASMAC. If you have nothing to hide, why fear an investigation?” he questioned Stalin.