CHENNAI: Launching the Oraniyil Tamil Nadu initiative on Tuesday, under which DMK cadre will reach out to every household in each polling booth across the state, party president and Chief Minister M K Stalin said there is a possibility of more parties joining the alliance. He said, “We will discuss and decide when that situation comes.”
Responding to a query about coalition parties’ demand for more MLA seats, he said, “After the election is announced, we will sit and talk about it. We will tackle it.”
When asked about the Sivaganga custodial death, the chief minister said, “As soon as we came to know about it, we took action. They have been arrested, and action has also been taken against the higher officials.”
Detailing Oraniyil Tamil Nadu, he said it is a combination of an election campaign, a membership drive, an effort to explain the betrayals of the union government, and a platform to highlight the achievements of the DMK government.
On Union Minister Amit Shah’s frequent visits to Tamil Nadu, Stalin said, “Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Amit Shah should come to Tamil Nadu more often. People know they are spreading lies and that becomes an advantage for us during the election. Similarly, the governor should not be changed either.”
When asked whether the DMK cadre would go to AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami’s house as part of the newly launched campaign, Stalin said, “It depends on the circumstances there. The cadre will act as per the situation. If I were in that area, I would definitely go.”
Earlier, explaining the need for Oraniyil Tamil Nadu, he said, “At a glance, the campaign may appear to be just a DMK membership drive. But its true objective is the welfare of Tamil Nadu. We must demonstrate that if Tamil Nadu stands united, no force can defeat us. To face the BJP’s political, cultural, and economic onslaught on the state, a courageous political force is essential. This is to create that.”
DMK youth wing secretary and Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin, party treasurer and MP T R Baalu, DMK organisation secretary R S Bharathi and senior headquarters functionaries were present on the occasion.