As Tamil Nadu prepares to vote on April 23, the opposition led by the AIADMK insists the state government has failured on multiple fronts, including in maintaining law and order.
On Tuesday, the NDA alliance organised protests across the state to highlight these concerns and former Chief Minister Edapaddi Palaniswami even accused the ruling DMK of illegally pocketing Rs 24000 crore through liquor sales.
With all this swirling in the election wind, The New Indian Express spoke to poet and DMK MP Salma about the charges that have been laid against her party and who she saw as the principal enemy.
Salma said "we began our election campaign about six months ago, when the Election Commission of India (ECI) released Bihar's final voter list after the Special Intensive Revision (SIR)."
Bihar had seen the deletion of 68.5 lakh voters from the state's listed 7.89 crore voters.
Tamil Nadu would go on to see an even bigger deletion of 74 lakh voters during the revision process, leaving the state's total voters at 5.67 crore.
Salma admitted that "there were limitations to what we could do", while insisting that "we tried our best to include as many left out voters as possible" .
According to the DMK's official website, Chief Minister MK Stalin had strongly criticised the hurried implementation of SIR, warning that it could disenfranchise citizens, particularly women, marginalised communities, and dissenting voices.
Salma echoed her leader's concerns while alleging attempts to disenfranchise marginalised communities. She also highlighted the fact that Gyanesh Kumar was the first Chief Election Commissioner to face an impeachment motion in the country's history.
Stalin had emphasised that the SIR exercise was not merely a reform but "a politically motivated attempt to engineer electoral outcomes". He warned that such practices could "snatch the voting rights of the people of Tamil Nadu and undermine democracy", alleging that the BJP was attempting to manipulate voter rolls instead of winning through ideology.
Focus areas
Salma revealed what the main thrust of her party's poll campaign would be.
"We will focus on development projects implemented by the DMK government under the leadership of Chief Minister MK Stalin," she said. "A wide range of social welfare schemes have been implemented and more are planned. Our initiatives will include all sections of society and leave no one behind."
On the 'deteriorating law and order'
Salma also rejected the opposition's criticism that the state's law and order was deteriorating.
She insisted that Tamil Nadu fares better than many BJP-ruled states on this count.
"Tamil Nadu is not like Uttar Pradesh, Manipur, or Delhi. National Crime Records Bureau data is proof enough. While isolated incidents do occur, the government takes stringent action in such cases," she said.
On allegations of corruption
Addressing the corruption charges laid against her party, Salma said the DMK does not shield the accused.
Referring to Senthil Balaji and others, she stated that this was evidence that action will be taken when guilt is established by law.
She also cited the 2G spectrum case, noting that DMK leaders accused in the case were eventually acquitted by the court.
On Centre-State relations and the BJP
She accused the Centre of withholding funds due to the state and criticised the BJP for engaging in divisive politics.
Referring to the Thirupparankundram lamp-lighting issue, she alleged that the BJP was attempting to create communal divisions.
On TVK
Salma downplayed the electoral prospects of Vijay's TVK, stating that it is not yet a force to reckon with.
While acknowledging its appeal among the youth, she said its actual strength would become clear only after the elections.
But she was categorical that the contest is between the DMK and the AIADMK.
