Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin was at his combative best while delivering the inaugural address at the Tamil Nadu Leadership Summit 2026, organised by THE WEEK in Chennai on March 2.
With the state assembly polls just around the corner, Stalin expectedly took on the Union government and the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). He said the double-engine hyped in NDA-ruled states was more of a dabba engine (a defunct engine). He said Tamil Nadu’s growth was not due to the Union government but despite it.
In response to a question following his address, the chief minister said he would not have mentioned the Union government or the NDA at an event taking stock of Tamil Nadu’s growth story. “I had to mention all this because the BJP has come forward saying that they will form the next government in Tamil Nadu,” Stalin said. “The song that is to be sung will be about the DMK forming a government again.”
He said that unlike the NDA, where the BJP were looking to make numbers, the DMK alliance was built on ideology and political philosophy.
He specifically mentioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s criticism of the delay in executing the Chennai Port-Maduravoyal elevated corridor, a 20.6-km dedicated road for commercial traffic from the port. Stalin said: “When Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently criticised delays in the Maduravoyal corridor project, the fact is that allies of his own coalition had earlier opposed the project. We pursued it persistently, and now the work is progressing.”
He said that his vision for Tamil Nadu did not come from his personal ambition. “It reflects the aspirations of the people of the state,” he said. “This is a dream that Tamils began to see from the start of the Dravidian movement a century ago. Our journey over the last five years has taken major steps toward that dream.”
The chief minister said that after his address at the summit, he would head to Nandambakkam to inaugurate the Fintech Tower, a part of the upcoming Fintech City project. The Rs 254-crore project is envisioned as a hub for BFSI and fintech companies.
“Because of efforts across multiple sectors, Tamil Nadu is today considered one of the leading economic states in India,” Stalin said. “We are not only ahead in growth but also in the Human Development Index, which is our real pride.”
Key speakers at the summit include Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin, MP and former Union finance minister P. Chidambaram, state Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi, Health Minister Maa Subramanian, IT Minister Palanivel Thiaga Rajan, Members of Parliament K. Kanimozhi, Thamizachi Thangapandian, Kamal Haasan, John Brittas, Kanimozhi N.V.N. Somu, and former chief economic adviser Arvind Subramanian.
The one-day summit is hosted at the Taj Coromandel.
