In Tiruchirappalli, April 1, DMK President and Chief Minister M.K. Stalin alleged that if the NDA came to power in the state, they would not hesitate to change Tamil Nadu's name to Dakshina Pradesh.
Addressing a public meeting here for the April 23 elections, Stalin said the entire state must unite against the AIADMK-BJP combine to prevent such a scenario and criticized the main opposition AIADMK for "being responsible for the deaths of those killed in protests against the CAA."
Stalin further alleged that the AIADMK supported the CAA in the Rajya Sabha, enabling its passage, along with the PMK, and that "thousands were attacked" and around 70 people were killed during the protests, claiming that the AIADMK was responsible.
Later, Palaniswami dismissed concerns about the amendment by asking who had been affected. However, during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, when the AIADMK was contesting alone, Palaniswami reversed his stance and criticized the CAA as a historical mistake. "Now, does he support or oppose it?" Stalin asked.
Stalin also accused the Leader of the Opposition of "betraying" the farmers, as he had supported the three farm laws, which he claimed "insulted" farmers from eight states who protested against the laws, calling them "brokers." Stalin alleged that Palaniswami had completely aligned with the BJP.
Palaniswami claims there are no issues within the AIADMK alliance, yet he made multiple trips to Delhi, waiting for several hours for an appointment with Union Home Minister Amit Shah, changing cars and hiding his face, Stalin claimed.
Stalin alleged: "Palaniswami says AIADMK leads the alliance, yet smaller parties are contesting on the BJP symbol, not AIADMK's. Has Modi ever called Palaniswami a CM candidate? He only speaks of an NDA government, not even mentioning AIADMK by name."
When the DMK says the 2026 Assembly election is a fight of "Tamil Nadu vs NDA, Tamil Nadu vs Delhi," Palaniswami, in order to attack the DMK, wonders if this is an election happening in Delhi. The truth is, he has mortgaged his entire party to the BJP to escape "corruption charges" and raids at his relatives' homes.
Alleging that the BJP-led Centre did not sanction schemes for the state, which includes denial of approval for the Hosur airport and putting education funds on hold, Stalin said despite all these injustices, PM Modi visits Tamil Nadu for the upcoming Assembly polls.
He visited Tiruchirappalli recently, but could not list any project for Tamil Nadu sanctioned by the BJP-led union government as nothing was done.
Stalin said: "PM makes a general claim that the DMK has not fulfilled its promises, yet I explain each achievement with data. Many beneficiaries of our schemes regularly share their experiences through the media. Even if the Prime Minister, who is always on tour-mode, had asked the people, they would have listed the Dravidian model schemes one by one. Either he lacks the time to learn about Tamil Nadu, or he has no interest in understanding it."
The DMK chief requested PM Modi to stay in Tamil Nadu for a week and see for himself how it excels.
He said TN has the highest number of women in the workforce among all Indian states. Alleged atrocities reported in BJP-ruled states do not happen in TN.
The CM added that instead of speaking about ensuring women's safety in Tamil Nadu, the PM should address those issues in the states ruled by his party. NDA speaking ill of Tamil Nadu is only aimed to hinder the state's development and sabotage its progress.
He appealed: "For Tamil Nadu's progress and development to continue, our Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam government must come to power for the seventh time, and the Dravidian model must continue. If the BJP and its subservient alliance come to power, its evils will be beyond our imagination. Tamil Nadu must remain Tamil Nadu. It must not turn into a land of violence like Uttar Pradesh or Manipur."
Stalin claimed that "if they come to power, they will not hesitate to even change Tamil Nadu's name to Dakshin Pradesh".
To prevent this, the entire Tamil Nadu must unite as one front against the BJP-AIADMK alliance.
"We must defeat our enemies and the proxies of the BJP... before the BJP's dummy engine, our Dravidian model's super-fast engine will never bow its head," the DMK chief said.
Recently, an incident in Madurai served as a trailer for what would happen if they came to power. Palaniswami, lacking self-respect, removed Periyar's portrait from the entrance of a meeting when the BJP demanded it.
At the same event, a video insulting Periyar and Anna was played, which three former AIADMK ministers watched without protest, the CM alleged.
"If MGR or Jayalalithaa were around, would they have tolerated such an insult to Anna? Palaniswami's only achievement is degrading AIADMK into a servile group. The term Dravidian itself was insulted at that gathering, and AIADMK leaders did nothing to stop it," the DMK president claimed in his address delivered at the public meeting.