CHENNAI: Chief Minister and DMK president M K Stalin on Monday emphasised the historical and emotional bonding between his party and the Muslim community by recalling that former chief ministers CN Annadurai and M Karunanidhi had first met at a Milad-un-Nabi celebration in Tiruvarur.
Addressing an Iftar organised by the party’s minority wing, Stalin stressed the DMK’s commitment to protecting the rights of minorities. He also said Karunanidhi had often told Muslims not to alienate him from them by expressing their gratitude.
Comparing the DMK with the AIADMK, Stalin said his party had firmly opposed the Citizenship Amendment Act, collected one crore signatures against it and submitted them to the President of India. However, the AIADMK had supported the legislation in Parliament. Had the AIADMK MPs opposed the bill in the Rajya Sabha, it could have been blocked, Stalin said.
On the proposed amendments to the Waqf Board Act, Stalin accused the centre of attempting to curtail the rights of minority communities. He assured that the DMK and its allies would strongly oppose the move in Parliament and, if necessary, challenge it in the Supreme Court.