Chennai, Apr 14: The people of Tamil Nadu are “fed up” with the DMK and want to get rid of “family rule”, former BJP national president and Union Minister J P Nadda said on Tuesday.
He alleged that the state has been turned from a “cultural capital” into a “crime capital” under the M K Stalin-led DMK government.
Unveiling the Bharatiya Janata Party’s election manifesto for the April 23 Assembly Elections—Pudhiya Yugam Padaikkum Thamarai Vaakuruthi (Creating a New Era through Lotus Promise) 2026—he claimed that the DMK had “failed Tamil Nadu on all fronts.”
The poll manifesto, prepared by a 13-member committee under former Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan, covers 12 subjects, including governance and law and order, social justice, women and child development, healthcare, and farmers’ welfare.
The manifesto, released coinciding with Tamil New Year’s Day, assures that Thaipoosam will be declared a state festival to honour Lord Muruga (Subrahmanya Swamy), and that the tradition of lighting the Karthigai Deepam at the Tirupparankundram hilltop will be resumed and protected.
The manifesto also promises a “ganja-free” state, a dedicated helpline for swift action, special fast-track courts, and capital punishment under the NDPS Act for repeat offenders and cartels.
Key promises include providing monthly assistance of Rs 2,000 to women heads of households, along with a one-time grant of Rs 10,000 to every household if the party is voted to power.
The party also promised to provide three LPG cylinders free of cost annually—one each during the Pongal harvest festival, Tamil New Year, and Diwali.
Nadda said that the DMK was run “like a dynasty”.
“It is a family-run party where Stalin is at the top, Udhayanidhi Stalin is the heir, Kanimozhi Karunanidhi is a key figure, and Sabareesan is the manager. This is how the party operates—it is family rule,” he claimed.
“We have to understand this. The pulse of the people across the state reflects full resentment against the DMK, dynasty rule, crime, corruption, and its allies. People will expose this unholy alliance in the election,” Nadda said.
“We Indians take immense pride in Tamil Nadu being the cradle of one of the world’s oldest civilisations. However, under the current DMK government, this cultural capital is sadly being turned into a ‘crime capital’,” he alleged.
The DMK, Nadda said, has “betrayed” the faith of women, youth, and marginalised sections of society. He alleged that the party believes in the “3Cs”—corruption, collection, and commission.
“Their leader, Udhayanidhi Stalin, compared Sanatana Dharma to dengue and coronavirus, which clearly reflects their hatred. They also approached the Supreme Court against the High Court’s order to light the Deepam atop the Tirupparankundram hills,” Nadda said.
He claimed that Tamil Nadu has become a “drug capital.”
“The people are fed up with the DMK. They want to get rid of family rule,” he reiterated.
The manifesto said it would tackle crimes against women on a war footing through streamlined zero-FIR reporting, victim-witness protection, special fast-track courts for heinous cases, including sexual offences, installation of blind-spot-free CCTV cameras in buses, schools, and universities, and optimised utilisation of the Nirbhaya Fund.
Other assurances include providing a subsidy of Rs 25,000 to eligible women to purchase e-scooters.
The party promised a Rs 3,000 top-up to the central PM-Kisan scheme for farmers, taking the total annual assistance to Rs 9,000 per farmer under the proposed ‘Uzhave Thai’ scheme.
It proposed the creation of a drug eradication department with a specialised anti-narcotics task force, along with a narcotics intelligence wing to monitor sea smuggling.
Other promises include loans of up to Rs 50 lakh for women-led cooperatives, SHGs, and MSMEs.
It proposes mandating 20 per cent of government procurement from women-led cooperatives.
A one-time grant of Rs 50,000 will be provided to small and marginal farmers for activities such as animal husbandry, cattle rearing, shrimp farming, beekeeping, and poultry farming.
The manifesto also promises Rs 10 lakh interest-free loans for first-generation students and education loan waivers for those unable to pay EMIs due to unemployment.
It further includes the creation of one lakh government jobs, free coaching for toppers, and district-level coaching centres with Tamil-medium options.
Additionally, a dedicated weekly hour of training in AI and robotics with practical labs will be provided for class 12 graduates to make them future-ready.
