Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Saturday strongly criticised Union Home Minister Amit Shah for claiming that law and order had deteriorated in the state. In a sharply-worded statement, Stalin accused the home minister of attempting to disturb peace in a harmonious and progressive Tamil Nadu, while failing to control the situation in BJP-ruled Manipur, where over 250 people were killed in the past 18 months.Stalin said it was “utterly condemnable” for the home minister to make such remarks with the intent of inciting fear among the public. He linked Shah’s comments to the newly announced BJP-AIADMK alliance, calling it a desperate and opportunistic move “doomed to fail as it had in the past.”Targeting the ideological disconnect between the allies, Stalin questioned the absence of clarity on key policy positions. “Amit Shah only assured of a Common Minimum Programme (CMP) in Chennai, but failed to explain if it includes the AIADMK’s opposition to NEET, Hindi imposition, the three-language policy, or constituency reduction under delimitation,” he said.Stalin also criticised Shah for monopolising the press conference in Chennai, where AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami was not allowed to speak. He accused Shah of using the platform to personally attack him and the DMK government, rather than addressing pressing public concerns.Highlighting the contrast between the two alliances, Stalin said the DMK stood for state rights, linguistic freedom, and Tamil culture, while the BJP-AIADMK alliance was built on a “hunger for power” and went against these ideals.He alleged that Palaniswami had previously compromised Tamil Nadu’s dignity and rights to maintain favour with the BJP in Delhi. “The people of Tamil Nadu will not forget that,” he said.Taking aim at Shah’s defence of NEET, Stalin said the Home Minister deflected valid questions by calling opposition to NEET a “diversionary tactic.” Referring to the student suicides in Tamil Nadu linked to NEET, he asked, “Were the 20+ students who died seeking a diversion?”He also noted ongoing CBI investigations into NEET malpractices in five states, including arrests of students and parents, and pointed out that Bihar too had witnessed suicides due to NEET stress.Stalin questioned the BJP’s credibility on corruption while allying with the AIADMK, reminding the public that late Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa had to step down twice over graft charges. He claimed that AIADMK functionaries flocked to the BJP after facing central agency raids, and that the alliance itself was a product of such political compromises.“This alliance is not about governance or public interest—it is about shielding corrupt leaders and fulfilling the BJP’s larger goal to impose Hindi, block Tamil progress, and undermine the state’s rights through delimitation,” Stalin said.He urged the people of Tamil Nadu to see through what he called the BJP’s calculated attempt to erode the state’s cultural and political identity.
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