Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Friday strongly criticised Union Home Minister Amit Shah for accusing the ruling DMK of using issues like NEET and delimitation as diversionary tactics.
Speaking at a public event held to inaugurate and lay the foundation stone for various state government projects, Stalin challenged Shah to provide clear answers to the people of Tamil Nadu if he truly believed the DMK was diverting public attention.
Stalin asserted that both Tamil Nadu and the DMK have consistently voiced their opposition to issues such as the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET), the three-language policy, the Waqf Amendment Act, and the proposed delimitation exercise which, according to him, could unfairly affect southern states. He stated that only the DMK had taken a firm stand on these matters at the national level.
Referring to Shah's recent remarks made on April 11, where the Union Minister accused the DMK of raising these issues to distract from corruption, Stalin responded by saying that Tamil Nadu's demands are not about diversion but about fighting for the rights of all Indian states.
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He questioned whether asking for state rights was wrong and emphasised that Tamil Nadu was taking a leadership role in this regard.
Stalin, who also heads the DMK, highlighted the Supreme Court verdict against the Tamil Nadu Governor over the delay in granting assent to Assembly bills, calling it a historic legal win that demonstrated the power and resolve of the DMK. He said the victory was a message to the entire country about the state’s firm stand on constitutional processes.
Posing direct questions to Shah, Stalin asked whether the Centre could grant Tamil Nadu exemption from NEET, ensure that Hindi would not be imposed, disclose the central funds allocated to the state, and guarantee that the state's representation in Parliament would not be reduced due to delimitation.
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He questioned why the Union Minister had not provided clear answers to these concerns if he believed the DMK was merely trying to distract people.
Responding to Shah’s confidence that the BJP-led NDA, in alliance with the opposition AIADMK, would win the 2026 elections, Stalin dismissed such claims, asserting that Tamil Nadu would never bow to pressure from Delhi. He warned that the BJP's tactics of splitting parties and using enforcement raids and threats that may work elsewhere would not succeed in Tamil Nadu.
He further accused BJP leaders, including Shah, of having made derogatory remarks about the Tamil people in the past. Asserting the pride and resilience of Tamil Nadu, Stalin described it as a land of self-respect and valor that has never accepted domination from outside forces.
He concluded with a defiant statement, saying that the people of Tamil Nadu would never yield to intimidation, declaring, “Not just Amit Shah, no Shah can rule us—this is Tamil Nadu.”
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