Coimbatore: The INDI alliance’s victory in the Lok Sabha elections is historic and has deprived the BJP of crucial public support to form government on its own, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Stalin said here on Saturday.
He said Narendra Modi became prime minister only because of the support of Chief Ministers N. Chandrababu Naidu and Nitish Kumar and not because of the BJP’s strength in Parliament, and claimed it was a “defeat” for Modi as he had to rely on allies to form the government.
“What would have happened to the BJP without the support of Chandrababu Naidu and Nitish Kumar?” DMK leader Stalin asked at the Mupperum Visa (triple celebration) here.
The event was to celebrate the DMK-led alliance’s spectacular victory in Tamil Nadu by winning all 39 Assembly seats in the state and the lone constituency in Puducherry, as well as to mark the centenary of DMK stalwart and Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi and honour Stalin for leading the INDI alliance to a landslide victory in TN.
“This is not an ordinary victory for us, it is a historic victory, a victory of your hard work and unity. Now the BJP government cannot do everything it wants,” he said.
Stalin said the fact that the BJP managed to win only 240 seats instead of the 400-plus constituencies it had expected was a disappointment for the party, as it was its 41st victory after the alliance won all 40 seats in TN and Puducherry.
“I will never forget the love and kindness my brother Rahul Gandhi showered on me. He gave me a box of sweets and recited stories about Prime Minister Modi’s eight visits to the state,” the Chief Minister said, reminiscing about the gifts given to him by Gandhi in Coimbatore during the election campaign.
He said the misinformation campaign of the BJP at the national as well as state level had been exposed and people had voted for the INDI alliance. In this light, the Lok Sabha elections were a defeat for the Prime Minister, he added.
Referring to criticism of DMK legislators being seen wasting time eating vadas in the Parliament canteen, Stalin said, “Our legislators will burn your egos with their opinions in Parliament. Wait and see.”
The DMK will continue its winning streak and destroy the opposition AIADMK in the state assembly elections in 2026. The task will begin with the Vikravandi by-election next month and will see the party recapture all the constituencies currently held by the AIADMK in the upcoming state assembly elections, he said.
DMK ally and VCK leader Thol Thirumavalavan, CPI(M) state secretary K Balakrishnan, CPI state secretary R Mutharasan and TNCC president K Selvaperuntagai were among those present.
This post was last updated on June 15, 2024 at 11:31 pm