EPS accuses Stalin of turning into a full-time film critic, neglecting farmers’ woes
BJP and AIADMK trying Bihar model shortcut to secure victory in Tamil Nadu by avoiding a direct contest with the people, alleges DMK president
Opposition leader Palaniswami and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin
CHENNAI: Two days after the Election Commission of India informed the Madras High Court that the Special Summary Revision (SIR) of Tamil Nadu electoral roll would begin in a week or two, DMK president and Chief Minister MK Stalin on Sunday termed it a direct assault on democracy that the BJP-led Union government was unleashing on the State using its “puppet” poll panel.
In a letter to the party cadre and public, Stalin accused the BJP government of using the ECI as a puppet to disenfranchise voters, particularly those from working classes, Scheduled Castes, minorities, and women.
Pointing out the revision process held in Bihar recently, Stalin said more than 65 lakh people lost their voting rights, and warned that the BJP and its ally, the AIADMK, were attempting the same "shortcut" in Tamil Nadu to secure victory by avoiding a direct contest with the people.
The DMK has formally urged the ECI to abandon the SIR process, he said, and added that the party was prepared to challenge any anti-democratic actions both legally and through mass mobilisation on the ground.
Meanwhile, the DMK president also announced a training session for party workers on October 28 in Mahabalipuram. The session, to be chaired by him, would be attended by senior leaders and party functionaries from district secretaries to local ward representatives.
The campaign will be launched under the slogan "My Polling Booth, Winning Polling Booth," with the objective of ensuring the DMK-led front's victory in every single polling booth, he said.
Stalin urged every party member to take a pledge to secure victory in their own polling station, asserting that this grassroots effort would guarantee that the DMK would form the government in 2026.
He expressed confidence in the party's strength, bolstered by the successful "Oraniyil Tamil Nadu" (Tamil Nadu in on team) initiative, which he said connected with over 2.5 crore families, and vowed that the DMK would continue to fight for the rights of the State and its people, ensuring "Tamil Nadu does not bow its head."