SALEM: Chief Minister MK Stalin lit the flame for the second state conference of DMK youth wing on Saturday evening. Youth wing secretary Udhayanidhi Stalin said the objective of the conference is to remove the present BJP government at the centre.
After its launch in 1980, the first state conference of DMK youth wing was held in Tirunelveli in 2007. Around 5 lakh cadre are set to take part in the second conference being held under the theme ‘Restoration of state rights’.
Sources said vehicle-parking facility has been arranged on 300 acres, and the conference and exhibition hall is spread over 140 acres. “Policemen in large numbers have been deployed at the venue.”
Speaking to reporters, Udhayanidhi said, “The conference is held to recover the state government’s rights that were taken away by the central government. They have also taken away the most important right of education. This is why we lost many students including Anitha. A gate to the conference is named after her. Similarly, another gate is also named after Danush, a student from Salem. The objective of this conference is to remove the present central government from power.”
Meanwhile, Stalin reached Salem airport around 5 pm and was welcomed by DMK functionaries under the leadership of minister KN Nehru. He reached the conference hall around 6 pm and lit the conference flame. Following this, the bike rally that started at Kanniyakumari on November 11 reached the hall and CM accepted the honour paid by them. He also inaugurated a photo exhibition. Later, Stalin watched a mega drone show in which 1,500 drones participated. DMK’s history, policies and achievements were on display.
As a large number of cadre gathered at the venue on Saturday, it is expected that there will be a huge crowd for the event. The conference is set to commence at 9 am on Sunday. Traffic has also been diverted on Salem-Chennai National Highway.