DMK forms NRI welfare wing; Stalin vows to deliver Kalaignar's promise to overseas Tamils

Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) supremo MK Stalin, on Saturday, announced the formation of NRIs Welfare wing on NRI day aimed at uniting and protecting the rights of Tamils living across the globe. DMK's decision to begin a wing for the overseas Indians comes after the Election Commission of India (ECI) mulled allowing NRIs to vote in the upcoming Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu. Taking to Twitter, Stalin announced the formation of the NRI welfare wing and said that a separate department would be formed for Tamilians living abroad once the DMK government comes to power. Further, Stalin also claimed to fulfil Karunanidhi's promise to Tamils with the formation of this wing. 

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DMK forms NRI welfare wing

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DMK's campaign 

Flagging issues in sectors like agriculture and education, the DMK launched a campaign titled "we reject admk", and urged people to defeat the AIADMK in the elections. DMK chief Stalin and senior party functionaries are currently visiting villages and wards and conducting "gram sabhas". The DMK, out of power since 2011, is making a full-throttled bid to storm back and dethrone the AIADMK. Stalin has also stated that celebrities such as Rajinikanth and Kamal Hassan are being forced to join politics and launch parties to ensure that DMK does not win the 2021 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections. Stalin, who is eyeing his maiden CM-term, has declared that his party will win 200+ seats in the polls. It is to be noted that Prashant Kishor and his team IPAC have been roped in for DMK's campaign.

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Tamil Nadu Assembly elections

Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu are due during April-May 2021 and the political parties have started their campaign. While DMK's MK Stalin is eyeing becoming Chief Minister for the first time, AIADMK has arrived at reconciliation between two warring factions - of Deputy CM O Pannerselvam (OPS) and CM E Palaniswamy (EPS). Incumbent E Palaniswamy has been named as its CM candidate and O Panneerselvam as the chief of the 11-member steering committee. The BJP is yet to make a formal announcement of the alliance with AIADMK and is in talks with Stalin's estranged brother MK Alagiri. On the other side, AIADMK has said that they are the big-brother within the NDA alliance. Meanwhile, Kamal Hassan is on a campaign trail and Alagiri has said that the launch of his political party will be in January. Superstar Rajinikanth who was about to launch his party this year has backed out due to health reasons. 

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