Stalin Mocks TVK Power Bid as DMK Marks 75 Years

 Chennai: Taking an indirect swipe at the Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam for its political posturing within one year of its founding by proclaiming that it would capture power in 2026, DMK president and Chief Minister M K Stalin averred that nobody else could repeat his party’s political triumph for no one could match the hard work and intelligence of its acolytes, their dedication to the cause they espoused and the initial persistent struggle for 18 long years.

Speaking at the event marking the inauguration of the ‘DMK 75 - Knowledge Festival’ and the launch of the book, ‘Kalathin Niram Karuppu Sivappu' (Black and Red, the colour of the times), at Valluvar Kottam on Saturday, Stalin said it was ridiculous that the DMK was being threatened by people who had no idea about the history of the party.

The history of the party was marked by the innumerable journals and newspapers that were brought out over the time, the books written and published, the plays staged to create awareness on social issues, the movies taken on relevant themes, agitations organised, the jail terms served by the leaders, the sacrifices made by leaders from the top level to the bottom rung and the betrayals the party faced, he said.

As there was only one sun and one moon, there could be only one DMK and there was no scope for another movement like that to spring from Tamil soil since the party’s core principles were social justice, self-respect, state autonomy and federalism, he said

Starting its work at a time when half the population could not read or write, the party launched its educational initiatives at barbershops, cycle repair shops and tea stalls, where the newspapers and journals would be read out aloud by one party supporter for others to listen, learn and understand the issues that faced them, he said

So the ordinary people in those days knew about the Russian revolution, the Cuban revolution and such issues of great importance for the movement itself was started by ordinary people, whose dedication gave rise to the party’s formation and growth, which was still a subject of study for academics researching the history keenly, he said.

It was because the political rivals could not match the success of the movement and capture power in the State, they were trying of make backdoor entries through efforts like the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, he said and called upon his party workers to ensure that no legitimate voter lost his franchise and no illegitimate voters was included in the electoral list.

Stalin wanted the DMK’s youth wing to popularize the 1,120 page book, ‘Kalathin Niram Karuppu Sivappu, capturing the DMK’s 75 year history through articles by eminent writers, experts and historians through social media and take the message to a wider audience through snippets and snapshots.