Chennai: Hindutva cannot take root where people have been taught for generations to question, to reason, and to resist caste hierarchy, Tamil Nadu CM M. K. Stalin told ThePrint, asserting that the BJP has no future in the state.
In an email interview to ThePrint, the DMK chief predicted more than 200 seats (in a house of 234) for the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance in the upcoming 2026 Assembly elections.
Stalin outlined key focus areas for the next five years under an evolved ‘Dravidian Model version 2.0’.
Stalin predicted a strong performance by the alliance, citing welfare schemes that have reached every household. “We are confident of winning more than 200 seats as an alliance. Our flagship welfare schemes have reached every household. Our economic record is unmatched. We are extremely confident about a massive victory,” he told ThePrint.
In the 2021 polls, the DMK-led alliance had secured 159 seats out of 234, with the DMK on its own winning 133 seats and forming the government with an absolute majority. For the 2026 contest, the DMK has announced candidates for 164 seats, nine fewer than in 2021, reflecting efforts to accommodate allies.
Asked whether this reduced seat share for the DMK amounts to ceding space, Stalin rejected the notion. He asserted that DMK is being strategic and inclusive which would deliver more seats for the alliance. The party has accommodated allies like Congress, DMDK, VCK, CPI, CPI(M), MDMK, IUML, and MMK.
“Accommodating existing and new allies strengthens the entire alliance, not just the DMK. A wider, more cohesive alliance delivers more seats collectively and it will reap rich electoral dividends on counting day,” he said.
He further added that the party will continue to deliver high growth and welfare at a massive scale which is non-negotiable, aiming at a $1 trillion economy by 2030 by expanding the investment ecosystem through urban and rural infrastructure, water security, skilling youth for global industries, and ensuring welfare schemes reach deeper into communities that still need them most.
“The Dravidian Model version 2.0 is not a slogan, it is a detailed roadmap that we are ready to execute from day one,” he said.
With DMK framing the 2026 elections as “Tamil Nadu vs Delhi/NDA”, Stalin said there was no place for Hindutva politics in Tamil Nadu. “This is the land of Thanthai Periyar, of rational thought, of social justice. Hindutva cannot take root where people have been taught for generations to question, to reason, and to resist caste hierarchy. Every attempt BJP has made to use the communal dog whistle, it has failed. They will continue to fail. Tamil Nadu will never allow Hindutva politics to define its public life,” he told ThePrint.
Just a few days ahead of the Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu, M. K. Stalin led the agitation against the Centre’s Delimitation Bill, urging the southern states to come together. After the defeat of the Constitution Amendment Bill, Stalin said, states which controlled their population for 50 years must not lose their parliamentary voice, adding that the principle was non-negotiable.
“We appeal to the Prime Minister to give 33 per cent reservation for women as per the existing Constitutional amendment passed in 2023 with support of all opposition parties including DMK—within the existing strength of the Parliament itself,” Stalin said.
On the principal opposition in Tamil Nadu, Stalin was dismissive of the AIADMK under its current leadership. “The AIADMK today is without any ideology and relevance as principal player Palaniswami has fully surrendered to the BJP. AIADMK has become BJP’s slave in Tamil Nadu, lending its electoral network to advance Delhi’s agenda at the cost of state rights. The present leadership is an insult to every leader who built that party in the past. BJP has not just weakened the AIADMK, they have actually humiliated it,” he said.
He said he was not concerned about the AIADMK-BJP alliance’s performance in the polls. “Not for a moment. The people of Tamil Nadu have consistently and decisively rejected BJP at every opportunity. Our DMK-led alliance defeated this ADMK-BJP alliance in 2019 and once again, the People of Tamil Nadu will defeat ADMK-BJP alliance,” Stalin stated.
When asked about the culture of ‘freebie politics’, Stalin defended the continuation of welfare measures even as the state records strong economic indicators and differentiated them from ‘freebies’. “A freebie is a random handout with no economic rationale. But a welfare scheme is a structured intervention with measurable social returns. I reject the conflation,” he said.
Citing that Tamil Nadu’s welfare architecture such as noon meals, health insurance, financial support and free bus travel for women have directly contributed to workforce quality, productivity, and growth numbers, he said, adding that evidence of this is in the 11.19 per cent GSDP growth in 2024-25, the highest among all states and the first double-digit growth in over a decade, according to revised estimate from the Union Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation.
Explaining that the government consults economists seriously before deploying every major welfare measure, he said that prosperity is not uniform. “Thirty-two of 38 districts may be above the national per capita average, but averages hide the last family in the last village which is still struggling. Welfare schemes are investment in human capital that sustains our growth. The moment we stop investing in people, the growth story ends. Tamil Nadu’s prosperity was built through welfare, not despite it,” he said.
However, Stalin acknowledged that when such welfare schemes are implemented, there are limits and every rupee must be justified. “We must constantly evaluate what delivers returns and what does not. Responsible welfare and fiscal discipline are not opposites. Tamil Nadu has proven time and again that they can coexist,” he added.
Reflecting on governance influences from predecessors C. N. Annadurai and his father M. Karunanidhi, Stalin said, “Our leaders taught me to go to the people and serve the people. Our Dravidian model is a classic model of a good and transparent governance. Our schemes are now a role model for many states.”
On tensions with former Tamil Nadu Governor R. N. Ravi, Stalin criticised Centre’s interference in state affairs. He noted that the BJP-led central government undermines elected opposition governments, with the Governor’s actions reflecting this.
Talking about re-examining the powers and roles of Governor by Parliament, he said, “We have already formed a high-level committee on Union-state relations under retired Judge of Supreme Court Kurien Joseph and it has presented part one of the report, which has been placed before the Assembly. The committee gave recommendations for reforms on multiple fronts pertaining to the office of the Governor. I expect that the Union government wwill introspect over politicising the office of the Governor and make the office of the Governor within the boundaries of the Constitution, instead of encouraging him to function under the direction of the BJP,” he said.
(Edited by Viny Mishra)
Also read: Why Tamil Nadu 2026 election is going to produce a hung Assembly
Excuse me, which parties have introduced “hate” speech laws in this country ? AAP in Punjab, Congress in Karnataka ? Didn’t you just get endorsements from the AAP and aren’t you in alliance with Congress ?
Hypocrites.