Chennai, Jan 26 (IANS) Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. K. Stalin launched a sharp attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP-led NDA on Monday, accusing the “double-engine government” of failing to protect citizens, citing the continuing violence in Manipur.

Speaking at the Vellam Tamil Women’s Delta Zone Conference organised by the DMK Women’s Wing at Chengipatti in Thanjavur district, Stalin said that according to government figures, at least 260 people have been killed since Manipur began burning in May 2023.

“The Centre and Manipur are ruled by the same double-engine government. Yet that engine has failed to safeguard people’s lives. The Prime Minister seems to have forgotten this,” he said.

The large-scale conference, hosted by the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, witnessed the participation of around 1.25 lakh DMK volunteers from 15 districts across the Cauvery delta.

Stalin, who delivered a special address, described Thanjavur as a historic stronghold of the Dravidian movement and reiterated its ideological foundations.

“The Dravidian movement is not only about abolishing caste domination, but also about continuously advancing social justice,” he said.

Recalling history, Stalin noted that at a time when both Shudras and women were treated with contempt, social reformer Periyar fought for their rights.

He pointed out that women secured voting rights during the Justice Party regime, followed by the Self-Respect Marriage Act under C. N. Annadurai, and equal inheritance rights for women under M. Karunanidhi.

Turning his focus back to national politics, Stalin accused PM Modi of spreading misinformation during his recent Tamil Nadu visit.

“He tours the world and comes to India mainly during the election seasons. Before his visit, I raised several questions, but instead of answering them, he repeated old narratives and left,” Stalin said.

He alleged that instead of addressing atrocities against women in BJP-ruled states, the Prime Minister chose to criticise Tamil Nadu.

“From this stage, before thousands of women, I assert with confidence that Tamil Nadu is the safest state for women in India,” he declared.

Stalin also referred to reports on drug trafficking allegedly originating from BJP-ruled Manipur and Uttar Pradesh, questioning whether the Prime Minister had read them.

Mocking the revival of the NDA alliance, he said its partners were entangled in central agency cases and sarcastically asked whether the “washing machine” of investigations would cleanse everyone.

Concluding, Stalin framed the upcoming election not as “NDA versus the Secular Progressive Alliance,” but as “NDA versus Tamil Nadu.”

“I trust the people of Tamil Nadu more than anyone else,” he said, expressing confidence in their verdict.

–IANS

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