The state is ruled by the corporate mafia, Stalin claims

DMK President MK Stalin. | Photo credit: S. SIVA SARAVANAN

DMK president and former chief minister MK Stalin on Saturday said Tamil Nadu was ruled by a “corporate mafia government” controlled by an unidentified person.

“Actually, it is a mysterious government. There is no transparency and everything is decided behind the scenes,” he said while campaigning for DMK candidate I. Paranthamana in Madurantakam Assembly constituency.

Mr Stalin said the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), which had promised to ensure a clean government, had inducted former AIADMK ministers facing corruption cases into the party after they were “washed” in “washing machines”. “Can the government which canceled the Parandur airport project be called a clean government? They tried to hand over the Chennai airport to private operators and covered up the letter written to the Prime Minister. Is it a clean government?” he asked. He alleged that a “mafia” had taken control of the government with the intention of diverting investment to Andhra Pradesh.

Mr. Stalin also criticized Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay for not taking a stand on the demand of several political parties, apart from the BJP and its allies, for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and their protests over the matter. “More than 13 million people have been denied their right to vote and in many states the result of elections has been stolen. Can a person who does not express his opinion on these issues be called a political leader? Even the leaders of his alliance parties are asking themselves the same question,” he said.

Mr Stalin said the “real face” of TVK would soon be revealed and people would know who was in “secret alliance” with the BJP at the Centre. Those who have also joined TVK will eventually be “left in the lurch”, he said. He claimed that DMK’s “only mistake” was that it did not take TVK seriously. “We fought our ideological enemies and remained indifferent to the clown crowd,” he said.

He also attributed the DMK’s defeat in the Assembly elections to the loss of votes caused by the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. “Lakh people lost their votes because of SIR. We lost because of these reasons,” he said.

Mr. Stalin rejected claims that there was a wave in favor of TVK. “If there was a wave, it could have won at least 150 seats. It could not even secure 118 seats and form the government with the support of political parties that were part of the DMK alliance,” he said.

The Chief Minister might speak in high tones but he should acknowledge that the government was formed on the basis of a vote in favor of the DMK, Mr. Stalin said. Instead of relying on his allies, Mr. Vijay “bought” AIADMK MLAs and fielded them again in the by-elections to boost the numbers of the TVK, he alleged.

He urged voters to remain vigilant, saying the candidate they elected had “taken them for a ride”. “In the name of change, the voters were only disappointed,” he added.

Published – 03 Oct 2026 22:12 IST