CHENNAI: DMK organising secretary RS Bharathi said that BJP will lose deposits in the 2026 assembly elections if it continues snatching state rights. In a statement on Wednesday, he strongly criticised BJP state president Nainar Nagenthran for his allegation that DMK is provoking separatism.
On Tuesday, Nainar and BJP MLAs had walked out of the Assembly after Chief Minister MK Stalin, under rule 110, announced a high-level committee to review the union-state relationship.
Bharathi asked, “If the organs become healthier, does that weaken the whole body? Similarly, does the DMK’s call for state rights weaken the country? How does the act of strengthening the relationship between the union and states amount to separatism?” He claimed that ‘DMK provokes separatism’ was a spineless argument repeated for the past 50 years.
“Whenever DMK advocates for state rights and autonomy, it has, since the time of Annadurai, been accused of promoting separatism. Now with Narendra Modi and Amit Shah’s new agent for Tamil Nadu, Nainar Nagenthran is also repeating the same slander,” added Bharathi.
“Tamil Nadu is not a state to obey the orders from New Delhi. DMK stands for the idea ‘Federalism at the centre and Autonomy in states’. This slogan is embedded in the sentiments of Tamil people. If BJP snatches away TN rights, it will lose deposits in 2026 Assembly elections. It is better for Nainar to convey this to his owners,” warned Bharathi.
He highlighted a line from the CM’s statement in the assembly that India will become stronger if the states get more powers.