Appreciating the Congress’s electoral promise of upholding the principles of federalism and State autonomy, DMK president M. K. Stalin on Saturday said that Rahul Gandhi should become the Prime Minister for this very reason.
The Congress election manifesto, Mr. Stalin said, reflected the aspirations of the DMK. “State autonomy, as propounded by former Chief Ministers Annadurai and M. Karunanidhi, is the basic ideal of the DMK and the Congress has wholeheartedly accepted it.
The Congress, in its manifesto, has clearly spelt out its stand on Centre-State relations and federalism. It would have drawn appreciation from Anna and Kalaignar,” Mr. Stalin said at an election rally here in support of the Congress candidate for the Tiruchi Lok Sabha constituency Su. Thirunavukkarasar.
Terming the election manifestos of the BJP, AIADMK and PMK as “embodiment of contradictions,” Mr. Stalin wondered whether the AIADMK and PMK accepted BJP’s stand on Kashmir. “Or do they agree with the BJP’s stand on NEET or on the release of seven persons convicted in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case,” Mr. Stalin asked. The Secular Progressive Alliance represented the consolidation of forces which had fought together on various people’s issues in Tamil Nadu over the past three years.
“Our alliance is based on ideologies. There is no ideology behind the AIADMK alliance. It is an alliance for looting,” he charged.
Questioning the performance of the AIADMK MPs during the past five years, Mr. Stalin said although the party had achieved a big victory by winning 37 seats in the previous elections, it was of no use to Tamil Nadu. “What are the benefits that Tamil Nadu got through them? Have they been able to stop the Karnataka’s move to build a dam across Mekedatu?” he asked.
Many sitting MPs, including the Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker M. Thambi Durai, were facing the ire of people while canvassing for votes. A slipper was thrown at the vehicle of Chief Minister Edappadi K.Palaniswami. The incidents were manifestations of the seething anger among the people, he claimed.
Accusing the Chief Minister of stooping low in criticising him, Mr. Stalin warned Mr. Palaniswami’s life could be in tatters once the DMK came to power after the elections. He reiterated that it was time for the people to bring to an end the “autocratic” BJP government at the Centre and the “servile” AIADMK regime in the State.
Later, accompanied by Mr.Thirunavukkarasar and K.N.Nehru, DMK’s Tiruchi south district secretary, Mr.Stalin took to the streets briefly to solicit votes from people around the Chathram Bus Stand in the city.