'Does he have guts to speak in Tamil Nadu?': CM M K Stalin targets PM Narendra Modi over vote politics

DHARMAPURI: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin declared at a wedding in Dharmapuri on Monday that the BJP cannot establish a presence in Tamil Nadu, while also criticizing Prime Minister Modi's recent speech in Bihar as mere vote politics.“We just came from an all-party meeting yesterday, where a significant decision was made — the BJP cannot establish a presence in Tamil Nadu in any form,” Stalin said. Taking a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Stalin accused him of indulging in “vote politics” during his speech in Bihar. “Does he have the guts to speak in Tamil Nadu? Will he even attempt to speak here?” Stalin asked, adding that Modi had described Tamil Nadu merely as a place for visitors to reside.

“I was thrilled to see the reactions from the people of Bihar,” Stalin remarked. “We are determined to free Tamil Nadu from the grip of AIADMK in the upcoming elections. The DMK 2.0 administration will mark the 7th term of the Dravidian movement.”A day earlier, Stalin had chaired an all-party meeting in Chennai, where several political parties resolved to move the Supreme Court against the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Tamil Nadu, set to commence in two days.

However, major parties such as AIADMK, BJP, both factions of PMK, NTK, AMMK, TVK, TMC, and some opposition groups boycotted the meeting. Among them, NTK and TVK have publicly opposed the SIR. Following the meeting, Stalin said it was the responsibility of all political parties to oppose the “hasty SIR exercise that snatches away the voting rights of Tamil Nadu’s people and buries democracy.” He urged even those who skipped the meeting to “take the initiative to safeguard democracy.” TVK president and actor Vijay, while reaffirming his opposition to the SIR, accused the DMK of politicizing the issue for its own benefit. The resolution passed at the meeting urged the Election Commission to immediately withdraw the SIR in Tamil Nadu. “Since the Supreme Court’s final judgment on the case against SIR is still pending, conducting it now is a completely anti-democratic act,” the resolution stated. It further demanded that the revision be held only after the 2026 state assembly elections, in line with Supreme Court guidelines. A total of 46 parties, including DMK allies and the DMDK, which is not aligned with the DMK, attended the meeting.