SALEM: “The BJP has turned elections into a mockery. The Election Commission (EC) has been reduced to a puppet that dances to its (BJP) tune. They have even begun tampering with voter lists,” charged Chief Minister M K Stalin, while addressing the Communist Party of India’s (CPI) state conference in Salem on Saturday.
He said democracy itself was under attack, with the BJP government not only manipulating the appointment of election commissioners but also interfering in voter lists. “Instead of responding to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s allegations of fraud, the EC has filed affidavits. This shows how low it has stooped,” he said.
Stalin also attacked AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami. “No one in our alliance is anyone’s slave. Without even understanding our ideology, Palaniswami speaks with arrogance. What sacrifice has he made compared to communist leaders or Thirumavalavan?” he asked. He accused the AIADMK of focusing only on discrediting alliance leaders rather than addressing people’s issues.
He alleged that central agencies were being used to intimidate opposition leaders, pointing to Saturday’s ED raids on the premises linked to minister I Periyasamy.
Confident of retaining power in 2026 Assembly polls, Stalin said, “Just as we won in 2021, we will win again in 2026. A Dravidian Model 2.0 government will be formed, and communists will be by our side.”
He also criticised the BJP for distorting history. “In government publications, they place (Vinayak) Savarkar’s portrait above that of Mahatma Gandhi. This is their idea of nationalism,” he said.
Referring to the February 11, 1950, firing inside Salem Central Prison in which 22 communist prisoners were killed, he said, “This demand was raised by CPI’s state secretary R Mutharasan. I have given orders to build a memorial hall for the martyrs today itself. Work will begin immediately.”
Stalin also participated in a 5-km roadshow from Seshampatti to the Circuit House near the Dharmapuri additional collectorate building.