‘Mupperum Vizha’ prelude to poll win: CM Stalin

CHENNAI: Chief Minister and DMK president MK Stalin has said that the Mupperum Vizha in Karur on September 17 will serve as a parade of unity and resolve, signalling the party’s determination to secure victory in the 2026 Assembly elections and to defeat the double challenge posed by the BJP and the AIADMK.

In a letter to party cadre, Stalin described the meeting as a rallying point for cadre to reaffirm their commitment to the Dravidian movement’s ideals and to showcase organisational strength ahead of the polls. He said the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam would continue to resist the betrayal of the AIADMK and the deceptive tactics of the BJP-led Union government, which he accused of undermining Tamil Nadu’s rights through unfair parliamentary seat delimitation, voter list manipulation and the imposition of the NEET.

The annual celebration marks the birth anniversaries of social reformer Periyar EV Ramasamy and former Chief Minister CN Annadurai, along with the founding of the party in September 1949. Introduced by former Chief Minister M Karunanidhi, the three-meeting features debates, poetry sessions and public meetings and honours senior party functionaries with awards named after party icons.

This year it will be held on the Karur bypass road at Kodangipatti, with elaborate arrangements overseen by Minister V Senthilbalaji. The event will begin at 5 pm and be presided over by the general secretary and senior minister Duraimurugan. Treasurer TR Baalu, principal secretary, and Municipal Administration Minister KN Nehru, along with other deputy general secretaries, will deliver felicitation addresses.

Among the honours, the Periyar award will go to MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi, the Anna award to veteran DMK leader Subha Seetharaman, and the Kalaignar award to centenarian and former MLA SM Ramachandran. Additional awards include the Bharathidasan, Perasiriyar (K Anbalagan, former party general secretary) and MK Stalin honours, while the inaugural ‘Murasoli’ Selvam journalism award will be presented to senior journalist AS Panneerselvan.

Stalin urged party cadre to gather across the State on September 15, on the occasion of CN Annadurai’s birth anniversary, to pledge to protect Tamil Nadu’s rights and to ensure that neither the BJP’s central government nor the AIADMK’s subservience can erode the State’s hard-won social and economic gains. He highlighted Tamil Nadu’s rapid growth and investments under the Dravidian model government as achievements to be promoted during the poll campaign.