Tiruchirappalli (Tamil Nadu) [India], January 28 : Tamil Nadu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Nainar Nagendran launched a sharp attack on the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and its ally Congress, describing their alliance as a "failed engine", as political campaigning intensifies ahead of the upcoming Tamil Nadu Assembly elections.
Reacting to Chief Minister MK Stalin's recent remark in which he described the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) as a "box engine," Nainar Nagendran on Tuesday said that after the elections, people will clearly know which is the "failed engine," which is the "box engine," and which is the Vande Bharat engine.
Continuing his criticism, the BJP state president questioned the stability and cohesion of the DMK-Congress alliance, citing what he described as contradictory statements by Congress leaders.
"I hear that the DMK alliance itself is a failed engine. The Congress party keeps making contradictory statements. It is not clear whether Congress will remain in the DMK alliance or whether it will end up as a failed engine," he said, casting doubt on the future of the opposition alliance.
Nagendran further claimed that the NDA's presence in Tamil Nadu is set to expand, asserting that additional political parties are likely to join the alliance in the coming days. "There are still seven days left," he said.
Commenting on the controversy surrounding film certification, Nagendran said that the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) functions as an independent statutory body and that its decisions should not be politicised.
"Those who have watched the film know why it was not granted a censor certificate. I do not understand why there is so much publicity being sought only for that particular film," he added.
Meanwhile, earlier on Tuesday, two ministers from the ruling DMK submitted a petition to the party's Assembly election manifesto preparation committee, urging that "Tiruchirappalli be declared the second capital of Tamil Nadu" and that the demand be included in the party's election manifesto.
The plea was made during a DMK Assembly Election Manifesto Consultation meeting held at Jamal Mohamed College, Tiruchirappalli, under the leadership of the party's Deputy General Secretary, MP Kanimozhi.
Ministers KN Nehru, TRB Rajaa, Govi.Chezhian, SS Sivashankar, Elangovan, and other senior party functionaries also participated. The consultation aimed to gather public opinions across Tiruchirappalli, Perambalur, Ariyalur, and Pudukkottai Assembly constituencies.
In a meeting with DMK party functionaries, MP Kanimozhi said the DMK manifesto remains the "hero" of campaigns and will reflect public demands. "The election manifesto has always been the 'hero' of elections, and the DMK is preparing it by placing the manifesto at the forefront of the upcoming Assembly elections. As directed by the Chief Minister, all efforts would be made to include projects that reflect the aspirations of the people in the election manifesto," she said.
She added that, "Two ministers of DMK have submitted a petition to the DMK Assembly Election Manifesto Preparation Committee, urging that Tiruchirappalli be declared the second capital of Tamil Nadu and that the demand be included in the party's election manifesto."
The developments come as Tamil Nadu is scheduled to hold elections in the first half of this year, although the Election Commission of India (ECI) has not yet announced the official election schedule.