CHENNAI: As means to cooling the high tempers within the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance following the completion of seat-sharing discussions, DMK president and Chief Minister M K Stalin wrote to his party workers on Wednesday and thanked all alliance parties, particularly those who brought down their demands for the wellbeing of the alliance and Tamil Nadu. Stating that efforts were being made to create fissures within the alliance by spreading false information, he urged all cadre to treat every party and their symbols as DMK’s own and ensure their victories.
In his letter, Stalin took a conciliatory tone and acknowledged the role of DMK’s allies in sustaining the alliance. “The contribution of our ideological allies, who stood with us in achieving governance and development, is extremely important. Recognising this, seat-sharing talks were conducted in a democratic manner,” he said.
Stating that the new parties in the alliance made negotiations more complex, he said that discussions were held with all alliance leaders and agreements were reached.
Expressing his gratitude to leaders of alliance partners — including the CPI, CPM, VCK and MDMK — for their flexibility during negotiations, he said, “Our alliance leaders, with affection and commitment to the continuation of the Dravidian model government, held consultations within their parties and after multiple rounds of talks, arrived at decisions wholeheartedly,” he said.
Stalin emphasised that the alliance partners must also be treated on a par with the DMK’s own candidates. “As the leader of the alliance, I consider our allies as a part of ourselves. I have assured them that we will ensure complete victory in the constituencies allotted to them,” he said.
Addressing alleged attempts to create divisions within the alliance, Stalin alleged that misinformation was being deliberately spread. He urged party workers to ignore such narratives and focus on electoral work. “Cadre must ignore these rumours, work together with alliance partners on the ground, and ensure victory,” he said.
“The constituencies allotted to alliance parties are also DMK’s constituencies. You must work as if I am contesting in all 234 constituencies. The Rising Sun is our symbol. The Hand, Drum, Hammer-Sickle, Hammer-Sickle-Star, Pot and Ladder, all these are also our symbols. All 234 constituencies are ours,” he said.
Stating that the alliance was based on secularism, state rights, social justice and equality, he said, “Our allies stand shoulder to shoulder with us in opposing the communal politics of the BJP-led union government,” he said.
He also shared that he had interviewed as many as 16,500 aspirants in a span of six days, spending over 10 hours a day.