KARUR: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Wednesday claimed that the DMK was the first regional party to come to power in a state and said, that the DMK can never be erased from Tamil Nadu and will retain power in 2026 TN Assembly elections.
Addressing the “Mupperum Vizha” conference in Karur, Stalin said whichever party that comes into Tamil Nadu politics, they say they will destroy the DMK calling themselves alternative to the DMK to bring change.
“What will they change? Will they bring change, and then drag Tamil Nadu’s development backwards? Is anyone talking about policies better than ours? Everyone promised change. But only the DMK did not change. No one can erase the DMK from TN. Our policy is our strength. There is still much to do,” said Stalin at the conference where a large number of cadres attended, getting drenched in the hour-long rain on Wednesday evening.
“We are proud to say that we have made Tamil Nadu the only state in India which has achieved a double-digit economic growth. That’s why some are jealous to see our successful Dravidian model government,” he said.
“See how Delhi is trying to control us…I say this clearly that for oppression, there is no entry here (in Tamil Nadu). For domination, there is no entry here (in Tamil Nadu). For imposition, there is no entry here.
MK Stalin called for a firm fight against what he described as the “imposition and domination” of the central government. “Delhi is oppressing us in so many ways,” Stalin said, accusing the Centre of imposing Hindi language, denying exemptions from the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET), withholding education funds and suppressing archaeological findings. He warned of attempts to “snatch our voting rights through SIR.”
Turning his fire on the BJP, Stalin declared, “Be it now or then, there is ‘No Entry’ for oppression, ‘No Entry for Domination and Imposition’ and so totally ‘No entry for BJP’.” He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s influence had not succeeded in Tamil Nadu despite forming the union government three times. “Have you still not realised about us?” he asked.
Framing the struggle as crucial for federalism, Stalin said, “If we don’t stop BJP, they will move towards the idea of no existence of states,” citing Kashmir as precedent. He urged the people to treat the moment with the same resolve as the anti-Hindi protests. “Just like how Tamilnadu fought the language war and saved the whole of India, it is time for a historical duty to conduct a war for rights to protect the nation,” he said.
Recalling his political past, he added, “If we don’t fight for this, what will we fight for? This is important. In this protest, I, Muthuvel Karunanidhi Stalin who went to prison at the age of 23 against Emergency will stand in the forefront.” He urged supporters to raise their voices from Karur so that “Delhi will hear, and will not let Tamil Nadu bow down.”
He accused AIADMK chief Edappadi K Palaniswami of “pawning” his party to save himself from raids and said he lacked understanding of Dravidian principles. He also took a veiled at actor-politician Vijay, asking, “What are they going to change? Those who spoke in such a way have vanished but DMK has stayed in the people’s heart.”
“Saffron ideology is causing hindrance to Tamil Nadu and people know that. Today the face of that organisation is BJP and we are fighting against it,” he said. He described critics of the Dravidian model as insincere, saying, “Their tears are crocodile tears.”
Addressing the youth, Stalin warned, “If BJP is not stopped, they will move towards a no states policy. They have already done a trial in Kashmir.” Repeating his pledge, he said, “Eight crore Thamizhar support is with us. This is a fight for Tamil Nadu. Let us say that we will not let Tamil Nadu bow down. Let those in Delhi hear it.”
Appealing to voters ahead of future Assembly elections in 2026, Stalin said, “Let us make history by bringing DMK once again back to power. We have unified more than 1 crore families in our organisation. DMK is the fort that is protecting Tamil Nadu.”
“Mupperum Vizha” is an annual event celebrated collectively by the party to mark the birth anniversary of DMK founder C N Annadurai on September 15, the party’s founding day on September 16, and the birth anniversary of Dravidian icon Periyar EV Ramasamy on September 17.
This year, the event has been organised at Kodangipatti on the outskirts of Karur, where Stalin addressed the gathering. Arrangements were made to accommodate around 2 lakh participants, with a massive pandal set up over an area of 50 acres. The party’s Karur district secretary and former minister, V Senthilbalaji, welcomed the gathering.
Stalin presented certificates of appreciation and cash awards to outstanding party workers from the four zones of Tamil Nadu.
The party’s annual awards for 2025, instituted in the names of Dravidian leaders, were presented. Stalin conferred the Periyar Award on Kanimozhi Karunanidhi, the party’s deputy general secretary and parliamentary party leader.
At the event, the Thanthai Periyar award was conferred on DMK MP Kanimozhi.
