'Blackmail alliance': CM Stalin frames 2026 assembly election as NDA vs Tamil Nadu, says ‘every constituent trapped by BJP

THANJAVUR: Chief minister M K Stalin on Monday described the NDA–AIADMK combine as a "blackmail alliance" forged through coercion by Union home minister Amit Shah. He said people of Tamil Nadu would teach a befitting lesson to the front in the upcoming assembly election which was a contest between `NDA and TN.'

Addressing the Vellum Tamil Pengal women's conference organised by the DMK at Sengipatti near Thanjavur, Stalin said the upcoming assembly election would not be a contest between the NDA and the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance. "The real contest is between the NDA and Tamil Nadu," he said, adding, "Tamil Nadu means the DMK, which safeguards the rights of Tamil people."

Stalin said the people of the state had rejected the AIADMK when it `functioned as a proxy' of the BJP. "When the BJP comes directly, Tamil Nadu will not even allow it to cross the state's borders," he said.

Calling the NDA–AIADMK front a "blackmail alliance," Stalin alleged that it was stitched together against the wishes of AIADMK cadres. "Every constituent of this alliance is facing cases from the CBI, IT department or ED. They are trapped by the BJP," he said. He alleged that AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami had joined the alliance out of fear of legal cases and for selfish political reasons.

Stalin pointed out that the same front had been defeated by the DMK alliance in the 2019 parliamentary and 2021 assembly elections. "In 2024, the AIADMK dropped this ‘waste luggage' only to take it back later. Now they have stitched together broken pieces and are projecting it as a new alliance," he said.

Hitting out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for alleging that women were unsafe in Tamil Nadu, Stalin said he had raised several questions which the Prime Minister failed to answer. "Instead of responding, he spread falsehoods during his recent visit. Tamil Nadu is the safest state for women and has the highest number of working women," Stalin said, questioning Modi's silence on the violence in Manipur.

Stalin said he trusted the women and youth of Tamil Nadu and was confident of their support in the forthcoming election.

Deputy chief minister Udhayanidhi Stalin also attacked the Prime Minister, alleging that crimes against women were higher in BJP-ruled states such as Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. "Fascists are dreaming of entering Tamil Nadu somehow. Any number of fascists may come, but they cannot touch the DMK," he said.

DMK women's wing secretary Kanimozhi said the BJP's "double engine" narrative would not work in Tamil Nadu. "It will only be a faulty and dysfunctional engine," she said. Referring to the AIADMK's Kulavilakku financial assistance scheme, she said women in Tamil Nadu knew which government would fulfil their aspirations. "Kulavilakku may not reach your homes, but Kalaignar Mahalir Urimai Thogai will come without fail," she said.


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