Unlike the elections of the past, where the DMK faced either the AIADMK or its local ally, this time around, the party will be facing the might of the Centre and its coercive police led by the BJP for whom the AIADMK is only a front for fighting proxy elections, DMK MP M.K. Kanimozhi said.
Speaking to booth-level committee members, she underlined the nature of the election that the party would be facing this time. This election was not just about victory of the DMK but about self-respect, social justice and the Dravidian movement, all of which were antithetical to the divisive politics of the BJP. “This is an election that will be fought at the level of principle and ideology. It will be fought in the name of Karunanidhi, Anna and Periyar, who stood for social justice and fraternity. They [BJP-AIADMK] will bring forth all kinds of divisive politics of caste, community, religion — but do not sway,” she said.
The AIADMK has completely pledged itself at the feet of the BJP and given up the State’s rights, she said.
To fight this election, Ms. Kanimozhi called for unity among the cadre to ensure the victory of the candidate chosen by DMK leader M.K. Stalin. She also urged them to remember how the DMK had to move the High Court because the AIADMK government refused a burial spot for DMK patriarch Karunanidhi next to his mentor Anna.
Later, speaking at a gram sabha in Thoppur, she mocked the announcement made by Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami to redress complaints.
“They ruled for 10 years and now suddenly he is asking people to reach out on a number to redress their complaints. The election is less than 3 months away and the government has not done anything for the people,” she said.
“The government led by Mr. Modi froze the funds of the MPs during COVID-19, when the public needed help from their Parliament representatives. That is the kind of government at the Centre, which has now aligned with the AIADMK,” she said.
According to her, the public did not want to trust the Chief Minister. “But the Chief Minister is promising to bring investment to the State, which is far-fetched,” she said.
The DMK leader also took a swipe at Higher Education Minister K.P. Anbalagan. “This is a district that has the Higher Education Minister. But this very district is educationally backward with literacy rate less than the State average,” Ms. Kanimozhi said.
Earlier, she participated in a consultation with persons with disabilities. It was under Karunanidhi, that a welfare policy for the differently abled crossed several milestones, Ms. Kanimozhi said.