With campaigning for the April 6 Assembly elections picking up steam, the opposition DMK is harping on one of its key themes: Tamil Nadu's unique identity.
Speaking at a poll event in Orathandu in Thanjavur district, Stalin declared "This time, it (election) is not just a contest for power. It’s a battle for safeguarding our State’s self-respect," The New Indian Express reported.
“As Tamil Nadu was nurtured by thoughts of Periyar, Annadurai and M. Karunanidhi, our opposition will not succeed. The Secular Progressive Front needs to be voted to power, so that we retrieve and safeguard our state’s rights. It was Karunanidhi who safeguarded Tamil Nadu’s right over Cauvery water and the present state government had ceded that right by letting Cauvery Water Management Board to be administered by the Union Jal Sakthi Ministry," Stalin was quoted as saying by The New Indian Express.
In other rally in Tirupur, Stalin alleged the ruling AIADMK was under the control of the BJP. “If you vote for an AIADMK candidate, that person may remain in that party, but will only be able to function as a BJP MLA...," Stalin was quoted as saying by The New Indian Express.
Stalin's son, Udhayanidhi, who is making his poll debut in the coming election, also espoused the same sentiment.
Speaking in Palacode in Dharmapuri district, Udhayanidhi was quoted by The New Indian Express as saying, "Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP have waged a vendetta against Tamilians because while the whole country chose Modi as the prime minister, only Tamil Nadu rejected him. So, he is implementing harmful schemes. The NEET, NEP, high fuel prices and all schemes are aimed at hindering the development of Tamil Nadu.”
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Udhayanidhi also lashed out at the Narendra Modi government's educational policies. "In their most recent announcement, the BJP government said all higher education courses would require an entrance exam. Besides, the New Education Policy implemented by the BJP forces class-3 students to face government exams. They won’t even understand the significance of the exam. As far as NEET is concerned, over 14 lives have been lost, starting from Anitha in Ariyalur. The DMK promised to abolish NEET, and we will keep our promise," Udhayanidhi was quoted as saying by The New Indian Express.
