Daijiworld Media Network – Chennai
Chennai, Apr 20: Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram expressed confidence that the DMK-led alliance will secure a massive mandate in the forthcoming Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, alleging that the state will not accept the BJP.
Speaking exclusively, Chidambaram claimed that Edappadi K Palaniswami, Narendra Modi and Amit Shah have “no credibility” among the people of Tamil Nadu. He asserted that the BJP has no acceptance in the state.
“The door is firmly closed to the BJP. The people of Tamil Nadu will never accept the BJP. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah have no credibility among the Tamil people, and therefore Palaniswami also has no credibility,” he said.
Reflecting on past electoral successes, Chidambaram said the DMK-led alliance has consistently performed well in recent elections. He noted that the alliance won the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, secured a sweeping victory in the 2021 Assembly polls, and captured all 39 seats in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
“In Tamil Nadu there is a DMK-led alliance which has been tested and tried for the last four elections. We are confident that in this Assembly election, the DMK-led alliance including the Congress will win comfortably. We aim to win as many seats as possible out of 234 and secure a comfortable majority,” he added.
Responding to criticism by Palaniswami that the DMK failed to act effectively in Parliament on the Women’s Reservation Bill, Chidambaram termed the statement incorrect. He clarified that the legislation had already been passed in September 2023 as the 106th Constitutional Amendment.
He said, “Out of ignorance, his statement is wrong. It is an absolute lie. The women’s reservation has already been passed by both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha. It is now part of the Constitution.”
Backing remarks made by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Chidambaram alleged that the BJP and RSS have been attempting to gain a foothold in Tamil Nadu, but claimed that the people have consistently resisted such efforts.
“We have been saying this for the last ten years and the people of Tamil Nadu have kept the BJP firmly out of the state. This time also, the BJP-led alliance will be kept out,” he said.
Earlier, Rahul Gandhi had launched a sharp attack on the BJP-AIADMK alliance, alleging that the BJP aims to remove Chief Minister M K Stalin and install a “puppet” government in the state.
Addressing a rally in Thuraiyur, Gandhi accused the BJP and RSS of attempting to “infiltrate” Tamil Nadu, claiming that they do not respect the state’s tradition, culture and language.
“It is the method by which BJP and RSS want to infiltrate Tamil Nadu because they hate your tradition, culture and your language. Tamil is not an ordinary language; it is the soul of the people of Tamil Nadu,” he said.
The Tamil Nadu Assembly elections are scheduled to be held in a single phase on April 23, with counting of votes set for May 4.