CHENNAI: “IT’S a paava yathirai (a procession to wash off sin),” Chief Minister MK Stalin said referring to BJP leader K Annamalai’s ‘padayatra’ on Saturday.Stalin was addressing DMK’s newly-appointed youth wing functionaries at the party headquarters, Anna Arivalayam.
“This is the BJP’s attempt to ‘wash away’ the sins of the 2002 Gujarat riots and the ongoing Manipur riots. Why hasn’t the Union government organised a peace rally in the riot-hit state? Why hasn’t Union Home Minister Amit Shah gone there and taken out a procession? The BJP has not taken sincere and serious efforts to restore normalcy in Manipur for over two months and is now conducting a ‘yatra’ here. This is aimed at creating communal tension in our state,” Stalin said.
Addressing the youth wing cadre, Stalin said there has been an increase in the number of youths joining the DMK in recent years. He emphasised the need for ideological training for new entrants. It must give them an understanding of the Dravidian movement which includes principles of social justice, state autonomy, and other core ideologies that have contributed to Tamil Nadu’s development.
Taking a dig at Shah’s visit to Tamil Nadu, Stalin said, “He has not come now to launch any new scheme of the Union government. He has not come to inaugurate the much-delayed AIIMS Hospital in Madurai. He has come to flag off the ‘yatra’ only to ‘wash off’ sins.”
Stalin attributed the death of Tamil Nadu fishermen owing to firing by Sri Lankan navy, the arrest of Tamil fishermen and the seizure of their boats to the failure of the Union government in finding a permanent solution to the issue.
On the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Stalin said, “If we have to protect the Tamil language and the people of Tamil Nadu, we have to protect the democratic structure of India. Hence, our slogan for the election is Vote for INDIA to save India.”