Stalin bats for TN rights at DMK 75th anniversary

Chennai: As the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) in Tamil Nadu celebrated its 75th foundation day on Tuesday, party president and chief minister MK Stalin asserted the services of the Dravidian major were needed for a century to come while urging his party workers to strive and ensure a massive victory for the party in the 2026 assembly elections.
Stalin also used the platinum jubilee celebrations of his party to target the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Union government raising a raft of issues, including alleged meagre allocation of central funds, autonomy and the Goods and Services Tax (GST).
“A situation has arisen wherein there’s no right to ask what the GST on cream bun is… despite the meagre financial allocation we were able to achieve so much. We can make Tamil Nadu the best state in the country if we get full financial allocation,” he said.
His GST remark was seen as a reference to a recent political row over a prominent businessman seeking a simpler GST regime during a meeting chaired by Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman in Coimbatore, saying there was no tax on a plain bun, but a cream bun attracted 18%GST. Later, a video surfaced on social media purportedly showing him apologising to the minister in a private meeting, triggering sharp criticism of the BJP from political opponents.
Stalin was addressing the “Mupperum Vizha” — triple celebrations marking the 75th anniversary of his party and birth anniversaries of Dravidian movement founder EV Ramasamy, revered as Periyar, and late chief minister CN Annadurai, who parted ways with his mentor Periyar but kept the ideals of social justice and self-respect intact to found the DMK on September 17, 1949.
“We will win in the next assembly elections too. I am not saying this out of arrogance but out of faith in you,” Stalin said while addressing a large crowd of party workers and supporters. “The DMK has an ideology, strong cadres who can take this forward, and a leadership emboldened by the bravery of the cadres. Let’s move on to the century (to come).”
Buoyed by the landslide victory in the Lok Sabha polls this summer, where the DMK-led alliance won all 39 parliamentary constituencies in Tamil Nadu and the lone seat in Puducherry, Stalin urged his party cadres to work hard to ensure an unprecedented victory for the DMK in 2026.
“Are you prepared to script this chapter?” he asked the crowd, which responded with a roaring “yes”. “The message on our platinum jubilee year is that we will bring back our state’s rights. The DMK will continue to be the voice for state’s rights and state autonomy,” Stalin said. “We are with the people and that’s why the people are with us and hence victory will be ours.”
On September 17, 1949, a group of young Tamil men, led by CN Annadurai — popularly known as Anna (elder brother) — gathered in Robinson Park at Royapuram in Madras (now Chennai) to float the DMK, as a breakaway faction of the Dravidar Kazhagam led by Periyar.
Annadurai heralded the first non-Congress government in Tamil Nadu post-independence, when the regional party swept the elections in 1967. After the death of Anna in 1969, the party leadership was handed over to K Karunanidhi, who also took over as the chief minister— a post he helmed on multiple occasions.
Karunanidhi continued to head the DMK from 1969 till his death in 2018, following which his son Stalin took charge as the party chief. In the 75-year history of the DMK, it has been led by only three leaders — Annadurai, Karunanidhi and Stalin.
“I wish to point out that the party was in power when it celebrated silver jubilee, golden jubilee and now the 75th anniversary,” Stalin said. “It will remain in power to celebrate the centenary and will last for another century.”
In October 1972, the then DMK’s poster boy and Tamil matinee idol MG Ramachandran (MGR) formed the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) after he was expelled from the party by Karunanidhi.
For its platinum jubilee celebrations, the DMK on Monday evening held a massive conference in Chennai bringing a hologram of its five-time CM Karunanidhi replaying one his famous speeches, praising his son Stalin with an ode to Periyar and Anna.
In his speech Stalin also said advocating for state’s rights was one of the foremost ideals of Periyar and Anna.