Stalin takes a dig at new politicians ‘aspiring to become CM’ soon after launching parties

DMK president and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Friday (January 24, 2025) took a dig at leaders of political parties who were “desperate to come to power” soon after launching their political outfits. He further criticised politicians who were “pretending” and staging a “drama” and not genuinely working for the welfare of the Tamil society.

DMK president and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Friday (January 24, 2025) took a dig at leaders of political parties who were “desperate to come to power” soon after launching their political outfits. He further criticised politicians who were “pretending” and staging a “drama” and not genuinely working for the welfare of the Tamil society.

“We see some parties that, soon after their formation, intend to come to power. Some were saying they would come to power and they would have the next Chief Minister. I don’t want to mention the leader or the party, because I don’t want to give them an identity. I don’t want to mention their names and lower the dignity of this dais,” Mr. Stalin said.

Neither Mr. Stalin nor DMK general secretary Duraimurugan and youth wing leader Udhayanidhi Stalin wished to specify the name of any political party because they could not get themselves to “utter the names of those parties,” Mr. Stalin said. They could have mentioned the name of the political party if it was, in fact, working for the welfare of the people and Tamils, he said. “I don’t want to give an identity to those who are pretending and staging a drama,” Mr. Stalin contended.

Mr. Stalin was addressing party workers who had quit another political party to join the DMK at Anna Arivalayam in Chennai on Friday. According to DMK functionaries, about 2,000 people from the Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK) joined the DMK on Friday morning.

The DMK was not a mushroom that sprouted just yesterday; it was founded in 1949 by C.N. Annadurai to serve the Tamil society, including the poor and the downtrodden, the oppressed and marginalised sections, Mr. Stalin said. Though founded in 1949, the DMK chose to contest elections only in 1957, after getting the opinion of the people during a conference in Tiruchi, he recalled.

In 1957, a total of 15 legislators were elected from the DMK, and the number went up to 50 MLAs in the 1962 election, thereby making it the principal opposition party in the Assembly. Later, in 1962, the DMK was elected to power under Chief Minister C.N. Annadurai. Subsequently M. Karunanidhi led the DMK government five times and now, he (Mr. Stalin) was leading it for the sixth time, the Chief Minister said.

As more political parties criticised the ‘Dravidian model’ of governance, more people from “your side join us,” he remarked. Mr. Stalin further wished that other political parties continued to criticise the Dravidian model of governance, so that the DMK garnered more support from the people of Tamil Nadu.