Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK President M.K. Stalin has called for a united fight to defeat what he termed as “fascism” under BJP rule. Speaking at the CPI-M’s 24th National Congress in Madurai, he asserted that federalism can thrive in India only if the BJP-led government is removed from power.Stalin accused the Centre of being hostile to state rights, claiming that the BJP government aims to centralize power under its “One Nation, One Language, One Election” agenda. He criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi for failing to uphold federal principles and for using governors to undermine non-BJP state governments. He also pointed to GST policies, legislative roadblocks, and recent amendments affecting minority rights as examples of the BJP’s disregard for state autonomy.
Stalin urged all democratic forces to unite in opposition, stressing that only a regime change at the Centre could safeguard federalism, social justice, and communal harmony. The DMK, he affirmed, would continue to support this fight and work alongside other parties to restore true federalism in India.
Stalin also highlighted the BJP’s contradictions, recalling that Narendra Modi himself, as Gujarat Chief Minister, had advocated for implementing the recommendations of the Sarkaria and Poonji Commissions to strengthen Centre-State relations. However, after a decade in power, the Prime Minister has failed to take any concrete steps in this direction, he said. Instead, Stalin accused the BJP government of systematically eroding state rights by withholding approvals for bills passed in non-BJP-ruled states and curbing financial independence through centralized tax policies like GST.
He further criticized the BJP’s approach to delimitation, warning that it could unfairly reduce political representation for southern states like Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Karnataka. Stalin reaffirmed the DMK’s commitment to challenging these policies legally and politically, including taking the recent Waqf Act amendments to the Supreme Court. Calling for a nationwide movement against what he called the BJP’s authoritarianism, he concluded by urging all democratic and progressive forces to unite in defense of India’s federal structure.