Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin inaugurated the Samathuva Nadai Payanam (padayatra) of MDMK general secretary Vaiko, in Tiruchi on Friday
| Photo Credit: M. Moorthy
DMK president and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Friday (January 2, 2025) called upon the people of the State to join hands to thwart the entry of drugs and the “more dangerous intoxication of communal politics” into Tamil Nadu.
Arguing that caste and communal clashes were a significant problem in the country, Mr. Stalin said those in responsible positions, including Union Ministers, were indulging in hate speeches and instigating clashes.
“They are trying to destroy the unity and peace of the country for the sake of their ideologies. Muslims, Christians, Adi Dravidars, and people from Backward Classes are living in a state of fear in the country. All of us know that even during the recent Christmas celebrations, there were attacks in various places in the country. Did this situation prevail in the country until a few years ago?” he asked.
“Divisive forces were engaged in depicting the people of the country as enemies of each other. Instead of using spiritualism to foster love, some of the groups were using it to foment trouble,” Mr. Stalin said while flagging off the 11-day Samathuva (communal harmony) padayatra of MDMK general secretary Vaiko in Tiruchi.
Coordinated action against drugs
Conceding it was essential to eradicate the evil of drug abuse – the other focal point of Mr. Vaiko’s padayatra – Mr. Stalin underscored the importance of coordinated action by Central and State agencies to prevent smuggling of narcotic substances.
“A big network is behind the movement of narcotic substances. The Centre and States should work together to destroy the network. A lot of narcotic substances are entering the country. We have to plug the gateways. Central agencies should intensively monitor and prevent the entry and inter-state smuggling of narcotic substances. All State governments should extend their cooperation,” Mr. Stalin said.
According to him, in Tamil Nadu, all agencies were cooperating and working in tandem with Central agencies to fully prevent the movement of narcotics. “For instance, we have seized over one lakh tablets [abused as sources of intoxication] in Tiruvallur, Vellore, and Ranipet districts over the past few months. Those smuggling them were found to be from Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Haryana. In some cases, the accused were from Nigeria and Senegal,” he said.
Arguing that eradication of drug abuse was a joint social responsibility, Mr. Stalin called upon artists to act responsibly while expressing their creativity. “It is not wrong to highlight the ill-effects of the abuse; but glorifying it would degenerate a generation,” he said.
Parents, too, should should raise their children with responsibility, Mr. Stalin said, and requested teachers and social media influencers to raise awareness on the evil.
Commending Mr. Vaiko for undertaking the padyatra in spite of his age,, Mr. Stalin expressed confidence that it would create an awakening.
‘No place for communal divisions’
Mr. Vaiko said Tamil Nadu was facing a threat from “Santana and Hindutva forces”, which he alleged were trying to trigger communal clashes in the State. Equality and communal harmony had prevailed in Tamil Nadu and there was no place for communal divisions here, he said.
Terming the 2026 Assembly elections as a battle between samathuvam (equality) and sanathanam, VCK leader Thol. Thirumavalavan said democratic secular parties led by Mr. Stalin would not allow the “Sanathana forces” and those helping them with different masks, such as Tamil nationalism, to divide and occupy Tamil Nadu. The Dravidian movement was responsible for preventing Hindi imposition; without it, Tamil Nadu would have become a Hindi-speaking State, he said.
Indian Union Muslim League president Kader Mohideen, Dravidar Kazhagam general secretary Durai Chandrasekaran, Makkal Needhi Maiam general secretary A. Arunachalam, and MDMK principal secretary Durai Vaiko spoke.
Published – January 02, 2026 03:33 pm IST
