CHENNAI: “Lies are being peddled against me, but as always, I am countering them through my actions,” said DMK president and Chief Minister M K Stalin in his address at the self-respect movement centenary conference on Saturday. The conference was organised by the Dravidar Kazhagam (DK) in Chengalpattu, where the first self-respect movement conference was held in 1929. DK president K Veeramani presided over the event.
Stalin announced that the one-month salary of DMK’s 126 MLAs and 31 MPs will be donated to the DK’s Periyar World project, where a 155-foot-tall statue of Periyar E V Ramasamy is being constructed in Siruganur, Tiruchy. He said that their combined one-month salary amounts to Rs 1.5 crore.
During his address, Stalin said, “Some people say we are celebrating the centenary (of the self-respect movement) and platinum jubilee (of the DMK), but nothing has changed here. Their remarks do not stem from concern but from arrogance. They are saying it as a challenge that we have not been able to break the structures they built over thousands of years.”
In these 100 years, we have only sown the seeds of change, the CM said. “Closely follow the developments in the country to understand the conspiracy of those who think that nothing should ever change here. Then you will understand why Tamil Nadu stands tall on its own,” he added.
“They thought Periyar’s movement would end, but Annadurai and Karunanidhi upheld its legacy. Later, they said the movement had no future, but I have come with the people’s support. They have been peddling lies against me, but as always I am countering them through my actions,” he stated.
The CM also alleged that deliberate and incentivised efforts are under way to pull not only TN but the entire country a century backward.
“The upcoming election is not just a political contest; it is an election for the Tamil race to protect itself,” he added.