TN CM extends New Year greetings, targets Centre on NEP, asks cadres to celebrate ''Dravidian Pongal''

Chennai, Dec 31 (PTI) Ahead of the Assembly election in early 2026, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin utilised the New Year's Eve to target the Centre on NEP and urged his DMK party cadres to organise "Dravidian Pongal" to usher in the 'Dravidian model 2.0' regime.

While extending greetings on the occasion of the New Year and mid-January harvest festival, Pongal, to the cadres of the DMK of which he is the president, Stalin said the DMK was continuing to fight firmly against the BJP government that was "deceiving Tamil Nadu".

"The last 5 years of rule have also been a struggle for our rights. The DMK stands as the guardian of Indian democracy. Our allies stand with us. With a sword in one hand and a shield in the other, we stand on the battlefield for rights," Stalin said in a letter to party members on Wednesday.

He took exception to the Centre for attempting to thrust Hindi through the National Education Policy and changing the name of the rural employment guarantee scheme to VB G RAM G.

"We protect the interests of the people. We must win the battle and continue to protect the welfare of the people. The people of Tamil Nadu are our support. We will destroy the strategies of the enemies and their elements and work for democracy," he said in the letter.

The DMK president appealed to the party members to start celebrating the Pongal festival as a social justice festival from New Year's Day. Stalin's father and former Chief Minister M Karunanidhi used to call upon cadres to celebrate the Pongal festival as 'Samathuva Pongal' (Equality Pongal), and Stalin exhorted cadres to celebrate it as 'Dravidian Pongal'.

Various competitions should be held as part of the "Dravidian Pongal" festival in every village, in which all Tamils could participate, in a way that explained the achievements of the Dravidian model government, he said.

"The New Year 2026 is coming - that is the year when the Dravidian model 2.0 government will be established. Once again, happy English New Year," he said.

Later in a post on the social media platform ‘X’, the chief minister said, "From the beginning of the New Year, let us raise the slogans, ‘Let equality flourish, Let Tamil Nadu win,’ and let us celebrate this new year as the beginning of the establishment of the #DravidianModel 2.0 regime". PTI JSP JSP ADB