DMK is BJP’s ideological nemesis — but BJP is hardly a competitor on the electoral battlefield in Tamil Nadu. That's what Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK chief MK Stalin had to say on the upcoming Lok Sabha elections and the BJP’s chances in the state. In an interview to TNM’s Shabbir Ahmed, Stalin spoke on opposition AIADMK’s ‘secret alliance’ with the BJP, the ideological clarity of the INDIA alliance, and the big question of electoral bonds. Full interview:
Why have you termed this election as a fight between Democracy and Dictatorship?
The Indian Constitution has given fundamental rights to every citizen of India. The BJP rule led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the last 10 years is against every such right, it's against secularism, diversity, federalism and state autonomy. No one, no matter what side they take, can live peacefully and without fear in India today. People have been pushed to live with a constant sense of anxiety. The well being of several states including Tamil Nadu have been ignored. All of this is against the ethos of democracy and the principle of cooperative federalism.
The goal of the DMK and the INDIA alliance is to change this dangerous situation and reinstate democracy. The 2024 Lok Sabha election is the battlefield where the political parties who believe in democracy will defeat authoritarianism with the help of the people.
I've been warning that if Modi comes to power once again, there will be no elections in India anymore. And yet, Modi has not denied my allegation even once!
The BJP has engineered defections and has toppled several elected governments in other states? Did they also attempt to destabilise your government in the past three years?
The DMK is ideologically strong, and therefore, unlike in other states, the BJP has not been successful in horse trading here. Nor could they piggyback like they did during Edappadi Palaniswami’s AIADMK rule. So they resorted to creating crisis situations for us by ignoring Tamil Nadu’s interests, denying our rights, refusing to give us enough funds, manufacturing disinformation against us, setting Union government agencies like the IT and ED on state ministers. DMK is a democratic party that has faced all these onslaughts legally and gained victory.
The DMK faces two fronts this time. But who is your primary opponent - the BJP or the AIADMK?
The BJP has no influence of its own in Tamil Nadu. They do, however, want to create a hype of having influence. But the peace loving people of Tamil Nadu will never accept the communal politics of the BJP, their violent activities. The election battle in Tamil Nadu is therefore between the DMK and the AIADMK.
But the AIADMK, which mortgaged Tamil Nadu’s rights to the BJP, hasn't criticised Prime Minister Modi or BJP’s activities — because they are in a secret alliance with the BJP. In some constituencies, the AIADMK is on silent mode to help the BJP. This is a betrayal of the party cadre by Palanisamy.
The BJP has, however, positioned itself as your major opponent, and PM Modi has been leading this narrative. They claim BJP will win more than 25% votes.
The DMK is the BJP’s ideological nemesis. We're also the most influential political party in Tamil Nadu. The BJP is no competition to the DMK. PM Modi and the BJP are using the AIADMK’s weakness to create an imaginary competition, using the media. These castles in the air will also disappear once the election results come.
India has seen coalition governments before- but they all had a strong narrative. Like the coalition that was against Indira or Rajiv Gandhi. Does the INDIA bloc lack that kind of a narrative?
The INDIA bloc is on the side of democracy. We're committed to protecting the Constitution. All the parties that are in alliance today are staunchly against the BJP’s ideologies, and are strongly in favour of strengthening democracy. The INDIA bloc is strong in ideologically opposing the BJP. The alliance has a two-pronged attack on the BJP’s anti-democratic activities that have created problems — first at the national level, and second at the state level across the country.
There are several leaders like KCR and Jagan who have stayed away from both NDA and INDIA. What would you want to say to them?
In electoral politics, every party has the power to make their own decisions. Some of the decisions can be taken depending on the state’s politics. But the fact remains that BJP does not have a winning chance in the south.
If the need arises, will you personally speak to them regarding joining the alliance?
Let’s wait till the election results are out.
TV channels-especially English - are all about Annamalai. Do you think he has a quality which previous BJP leaders in the state did not have? Has he really made the BJP popular?
Not only in Tamil Nadu, across India, the BJP’s agenda is to create an imaginary image using media. Other than that I don’t think any answer is required to this question.
The BJP has taken a high moral ground on the electoral bond scheme. Has the opposition failed in cornering them?
The Supreme Court has ruled that electoral bonds are illegal. Based on the data released by the bank post the SC verdict, it came out in the open that the BJP used agencies like the ED and IT to threaten companies and collect huge funds. The people clearly understand how BJP has legalised corruption in an unprecedented manner.
Opposition parties like the DMK too have been questioned for the kind of money they have got through bonds.
Our party treasurer transparently declared the details of funds we received through electoral bonds. DMK did not receive any funds as a quid-pro-quo. Nor did we use the government machinery to threaten anyone to get funds.
What do you think will happen if BJP comes back to power after 2024?
I firmly believe that India will not face such a perilous situation. People’s decision would be clear that India should continue as a democratic nation.