Rahul Gandhi launched Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Stalin’s autobiography, titled ‘Ungalil Oruvan,’ during a Chennai event attended by Pinarayi Vijayan, Tejashwi Yadav, and Omar Abdullah.
Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi slammed the BJP-led central government for “snatching” Jammu and Kashmir (J&K powers) and downgrading it to a Union Territory (UT), accusing it of allowing bureaucrats from Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat to rule it now.
Gandhi made these statements in response to remarks made earlier at the gathering by National Conference leader Omar Abdullah, who was joined by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Bihar Opposition leader Tejashwi Yadav, among others.
Continuing on the theme of the BJP government’s alleged assault on federalism, Gandhi claimed that it has increased the Border Security Force’s (BSF) powers in states without the consent of their governments, resulting in “hundreds of acres of land” being “taken away” by the central force in a state like Punjab, he claimed.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, according to the Congress politician, is “unaware of the history of Indian states and its diversity.” “Instead of listening to people’s views and appreciating our variety, they have imposed their agendas on various states…Our people’s voices are no longer heard or reflected.” Instead, voices are being silenced, and every institution, including the court, the Election Commission, and the media, is being deliberately targeted. But the BJP should not be fooled… We know how to fight them, and we will battle them because they oppose our history and heritage. “They will not be able to beat us,” he stated during the event, which turned into a gathering place for some of the opposition’s top personalities.
However, two significant Opposition figures, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamta Banerjee and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, were conspicuously absent from the event.
The publishing of the DMK chief’s memoirs was planned as a “grand occasion,” with notable guests flown in on chartered planes to Chennai.
Stalin seemed to acknowledge this when he stated, “Like my wedding, which was organised like a national party conference, this (event) has been organised similarly…” when speaking to the crowd.
In his address, Yadav advocated for stepping up a campaign calling for judicial appointments to be reserved for women.
A CM like Stalin authoring a book for the youth to understand his life is a unique approach of engaging with people, he added, when politicians are involved in brand marketing and strategy.
Abdullah stated that the people of J&K will never forget Tamil Nadu’s unity when the Centre took away its powers. He said that J&K was partitioned without the people’s permission and urged all like-minded parties to band together to safeguard the “concept of India.” He said that no Indian state has suffered this fate since independence, and that what occurred in J&K may be replicated in Kerala and Tamil Nadu in the future.
Stalin’s book, written in Tamil and released today, is the first of a three-volume autobiography that covers the first 23 years of his life, including his early political days.
The leaders also emphasised Stalin’s political journey in their addresses.
Stalin’s political career was chronicled by Vijayan, who noted that he “began as a youth leader before gaining crucial roles in the DMK over time.” Stalin, he said, began his political career from the grass roots before rising through the ranks to become the mayor of Chennai, the minister of municipal administration, and eventually the deputy chief minister. He went on to say that his Tamil Nadu counterpart has been in the forefront of demonstrations whenever states’ rights have been threatened.
