With the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections drawing closer, Chief Minister and DMK president MK Stalin launched a sharp counterattack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi over remarks suggesting that women are unsafe in Tamil Nadu. Speaking at a large DMK women’s conference in Thanjavur district, Stalin rejected the charge and accused the Prime Minister of spreading misinformation for political gain.
“Mr Prime Minister, I say this with my head held high Tamil Nadu is the safest place for women,” Stalin said, adding that the state records high levels of women’s participation in the workforce. He highlighted his government’s welfare initiatives, including free bus travel for women, which he said has become widely popular and is often referred to by the public as “Stalin Buses.”
Stalin also turned his focus on the continuing violence in Manipur, accusing the BJP-led central government of failing to restore peace. Citing official figures, he said around 260 people have been killed, thousands injured, and more than a lakh displaced. “Why couldn’t the BJP’s double-engine government bring back normalcy?” he asked.
On allegations of rising drug abuse in Tamil Nadu, Stalin countered by claiming that narcotics were entering India through BJP-ruled states, blaming weak border control and enforcement by the Centre.
The Chief Minister criticised the renewed AIADMK-BJP alliance, calling it a “repackaged failed alliance” that had already been rejected by voters in previous elections. He alleged that central agencies like the ED and IT were being used to pressure political opponents.
Earlier, DMK MP Kanimozhi also targeted the Prime Minister, calling him a “tourist Prime Minister” who visits Tamil Nadu mainly during election periods. She raised questions over pending central funds, flood relief, the Hosur airport project, and support for Tamil language initiatives.
The BJP, however, dismissed the criticism, arguing that the NDA remains a strong contender in the state based on combined vote share trends.
