Karur (Tamil Nadu), Apr 1 (PTI) Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Wednesday ridiculed AIADMK chief Palaniswami, saying the DMK only had an alliance with the BJP during the Atal Bihari Vajpayee era and unlike the leader of opposition, they did not mortgage the party.
Addressing an election rally here, Stalin said the AIADMK regime brought only trials and tribulations to the people, and the current BJP government at the Centre continues to betray Tamil Nadu out of frustration over its 2024 Lok Sabha election defeat in the state.
On the AIADMK chief showing an old photograph of Vajpayee, Karunanidhi and Murasoli Maran together at Sivaganga poll rally on April 1, 2026, Stalin said Palaniswami was falsely equating DMK’s past coalition with BJP to AIADMK’s current subservience to Amit Shah. “We had alliance with the BJP. Unlike Palaniswami, we did not mortgage our party (with the BJP),” Stalin said.
While DMK retained its self-respect and secured development for Tamil Nadu while it was in alliance with the BJP, Palaniswami mortgaged the state’s rights and also reduced AIADMK to a party rented out to the BJP.
Earlier in the day, addressing a rally at Tiruchirappalli, Stalin, listing the alleged betrayals of Palaniswami, had said that Palaniswami has fully transformed into a “Sanghi” (RSS man) by allying with the BJP.
Slamming Stalin for this Sanghi remark, hours later, Palaniswami, while addressing a public meeting at Sivaganga showed an old, undated photograph of late leaders M Karunanidhi and Murasoli Maran alongside the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and asked if the two late leaders –Karunanidhi and Maran– were ‘Sanghi’ leaders. Implicitly, Stalin agreed that Karunanidhi, Murasoli Maran were Sanghi leaders, the AIADMK chief claimed.
Sanghi is a term usually used by those belonging to the DMK and its allies to target the BJP and RSS. In general, Sanghi is perceived as a reference to a follower of the RSS.
Palaniswami claimed Stalin was deliberately speaking ill against him and the AIADMK.
The leader of opposition asked the chief minister to use words appropriately in keeping with his stature and he warned that his party would hit back.
“If AIADMK cadres start responding to jibes like Sanghi aimed at me, Stalin will not be able to bear it,” Palaniswami said.
Against this background, on the same day; while presiding an election public meeting here, Stalin sought to trash Palaniswami’s accusations by saying that DMK just had an alliance and did not mortgage the party with Delhi.
Further, addressing the public meeting here, Stalin alleged, ”having betrayed leaders within his own party,” Palaniswami now fears the DMK as former AIADMK members return to the parent Dravidian party, the DMK.
Those who strayed from the Dravidian path are now coming back and this is what troubles Palaniswami and “April 23 is the day to teach this anti-Tamil Nadu alliance a lesson,” Stalin added.
Stalin said: “Not only the voters of this Karur district, but the voters of Tamil Nadu; April 23 is the day they will give a fitting reply to the servile AIADMK and the arrogant BJP. On that day, they have decided to drive out not only Palaniswami’s Amit Shah AIADMK but also the RSS-run BJP.” Palaniswami has started lamenting early, sensing the election result, the DMK president further claimed. PTI VGN VGN KH
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