Read more: AIADMK crisis deepens as four former ministers, ex-MLAs join ruling TVK in Chennai
Welcoming more than 1,000 AIADMK workers who joined the DMK at a function held here, Stalin traced the party’s history since its founding in 1949 and underlined that his party opposed the imposition of Emergency in 1975, knowing fully well that it would lead to the dismissal of the government.
In 1976, the DMK government was dismissed and till 1989, the party could not win polls and form the government, he said, and recalled the ups and downs seen by the party till it formed the government yet again in 2021.
The former chief minister said that the reason for him recalling all that is to underscore that victory and defeat will alternate. He said: “That is why we are proving today that a DMK member is someone who neither goes wild chasing victory, nor loses heart and gives up when facing defeat, but continues to work forever.”
It is in this situation, when the party has lost the opportunity to win and when it works as the principal opposition, so many have joined the party under the leadership of Gaja alias Gajendran, AIADMK Kattankolathur-North Union Secretary, who fought Assembly polls form the Chengelpet constituency as the candidate of that party, he said.
Further, Stalin said: “You have no reason to worry. You must not forget that the current regime is functioning only due to our grace (favour/benevolence). We (the DMK-led alliance) faced the election with the determination that we must win; the government must be formed under the leadership of the DMK, and that all opposition parties must be defeated. It is only with the grace of the parties that were in our alliance that this government is functioning today. It is only with the cooperation of the alliance parties, who wished for the DMK to come to power, that this government is running today.”Furthermore, he said: “Let us take a pledge in this event to put a full stop to this government which is functioning due to our benevolence.”
Stalin stated that the leaders of the DMK-led alliance parties (including the Left parties) had themselves mentioned in several places that when they came forward to support the TVK, they did so only after informing their alliance leader, DMK President Stalin.
He said that when they were leaving after informing him, he had told them that they might go, as it was their wish and their democratic right, and he would not stop them.
He added that he had sent them off with wishes solely on the principle that President’s rule should not be imposed on the state, and through that, the BJP should not come to power in Tamil Nadu.
In the April 23 Assembly elections, the Tamilga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) led by Vijay won 108 seats but 10 short of a majority in the 234-member house.
The DMK alliance partners CPI, CPI(M), VCK and IUML, which won two seats each, extended support to TVK. The Congress snapped its alliance with DMK and extended support to Vijay. The grand old party won five seats.
