'Vasool raja', 'Anti-Tamil Nadu': How Stalin made PM Modi the centerpiece of his poll campaign

From the “misuse of Governors” by the Centre to federalism to demanding equal fiscal rights for states, Modi is the target for Stalin and DMK as they raise the above issues in every available platform.

Chennai: As Tamil Nadu goes to Lok Sabha polls in the first phase on April 19, DMK and its President M K Stalin’s attack on the BJP is getting sharper each passing day. 

They have made Prime Minister Narendra Modi the centrepiece of the election campaign, calling him “anti-Tamil Nadu” and “anti-federalism”, much like the 2019 polls that resulted in a landslide win for the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance (SPA). 

Stalin, who addresses two public meetings a day on an average, is focussing solely on Modi by likening him to a “migratory bird” that visits sanctuaries only during the season, in a veiled reference to the Prime Minister’s "no-show" when six districts in the state faced unprecedented floods in December 2023. 

In one of the meetings, Stalin mocked the BJP’s anti-corruption plank saying if one were to build an university for graft, Modi would be its vice-chancellor and continues to highlight the CAG reports that have flagged “irregularities” on various projects executed by the Union Government in the past ten years.

He also called the Prime Minister a “vasool raja” while taking a dig at the electoral bonds, and said that a public rally which was addressed by him and Rahul Gandhi has shaken the BJP.

From the “misuse of Governors” by the Centre to federalism to demanding equal fiscal rights for states to exemption from NEET for Tamil Nadu, to opposing Citizenship (Amendment) Act, Modi is the target for Stalin and DMK as they raise the above issues in every available platform.

One of the prime movers behind the I.N.D.I.A. alliance, Stalin also says if the bloc wins, the next Prime Minister would be someone who believes in social justice, a plank that is quite popular in Tamil Nadu. 

Though the DMK chief doesn’t spare his prime rival in the state, AIADMK, calling the opposition party of being in a “secret relationship” with its former ally BJP, the prime target is the Prime Minister.

Senior DMK leaders told DH that the party believes that Modi is still “unpopular” in Tamil Nadu and that’s the one of the reasons for the DMK chief to continue to attack him, besides flaunting the welfare programs of the party-led dispensation.

“Moreover, the BJP’s face is Modi and who else do we attack if we have to oppose the policies of the decade-long tenure of the BJP government. When Modi continues to single out the DMK in his public meetings, we have to counter it strongly. Who better than our leader to do this?” a DMK leader asked. 

“Modi and his anti-Tamil attitude was the sole campaign point in 2019 and we believe that will work this time too. The attacks will only get sharper as we need to tell the people that the SPA is the only combine that takes the BJP head-on,” the leader explained. 

Not just Stalin, the DMK is utilising every platform that is available to take on Modi and the BJP, posters of Ji (Modi) Pay with a QR code have been pasted across the state while YouTube is full of advertisements that “poke fun” at 'Modi's guarantees.' The QR code takes the smartphone user to a video that talks about the “electoral bond scam” of the BJP and accuses the party of receiving over Rs 6,000 crore as donation from 130 firms since 2019, while the advertisements focus on price rise, Centre’s apathy towards the state and unemployment. 

Another DMK leader said the party was focussing on digital campaigns, including advertisements on web pages, as they helped the party reach a cross-section of the society during the 2019 and 2021 elections. 

 “Our video ad on non-construction of AIIMS by the BJP government went viral during the 2021 elections. That’s why our advertisements this time covers a wide range of issues that we believe affects the common man,” the second leader said, adding that their campaign also includes promotion of welfare schemes that are a “hit” among people, especially women.

Senior journalist Maalan Narayanan told DH that it was believed until recently that the Modi factor doesn’t work in South India mostly because the Prime Minister doesn’t speak the local language but he adopted the “smart strategy” of doing roadshows where he doesn’t have to speak.

“This is one of the reasons why regional parties like the DMK are making Modi the centre piece of their campaign. With the Prime Minister making frequent visits to the state, DMK might feel that this is the chance to project him as anti-Tamil and anti-Tamil Nadu by talking about emotional issues and the north-south divide,” Maalan added. 

“When you make Modi the focus, issues like the performance of the state government and its leader takes a back seat as the debate will be centered around Modi. The DMK believes such a strategy works in their favour,” he added.