Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam Youth Wing Secretary and Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin on Sunday declared that the party’s youth wing is the backbone of the organisation and launched a sharp attack on the BJP and the AIADMK at the Western Zone Youth Wing Executives’ Meeting held here.
Addressing over 80,000 youth wing functionaries from 16 party districts and 39 Assembly constituencies, he said similar zonal meetings had earlier been held in Tiruvannamalai and Virudhunagar.
Though DMK president and Chief Minister M.K. Stalin could not attend due to official commitments, Mr. Udhayanidhi said the party chief would meet cadres during the western region’s thanksgiving and victory celebrations after returning to power.
He thanked western region in-charge V. Senthil Balaji and district secretaries including Thalapathy Murugesan, Senthamilchelvan and Thondamuthur Ravi for organising the event.
Stating that the youth wing has over five lakh administrators and 50 lakh members, he said it functions as the party’s disciplined grassroots force with booth-level structures and data-driven outreach.
Over the past six years, the wing had undertaken desilting works, anti-CAA and anti-NEET protests, Covid relief helplines, literacy campaigns and cadre training programmes.
Highlighting welfare initiatives of the DMK government, he cited the Chief Minister’s Breakfast Scheme, Pudhumai Penn, Tamil Puthalvan and the Kalaignar Women’s Rights Scheme benefiting 1.31 crore women.
He said recent financial assistance credited to women beneficiaries reflected the government’s commitment to social justice.
Accusing the BJP-led Union government of withholding funds, imposing the National Education Policy and attempting to undermine Tamil Nadu’s rights, he alleged that AIADMK leader Edappadi K. Palaniswami had aligned with the BJP for political survival.
Asserting that the DMK would not be intimidated by central agencies, Udhayanidhi said the party would continue to defend Tamil Nadu’s language, education and financial rights under the Dravidian model of governance.
