Tiruvannamalai (Tamil Nadu) [India], December 14 (ANI): Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) president and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Sunday addressed the DMK Youth Wing Northern Zone Administrators' Conference in Tiruvannamalai, urging young cadres to shoulder the responsibility of safeguarding the state, the Tamil language and India's pluralistic ethos.

Stalin stated during the meeting that the State's future lies in the success of the 'Dravidian Model 2.0'.

Addressing thousands of Youth Wing functionaries, Stalin said the sight of the gathering made him feel as if he had travelled 50 years back in time, recalling his own days as a young organiser who travelled village to village to build the Youth Wing, according to an official statement from the party.

He said, 'The DMK, which has completed 75 years, was built through relentless grassroots work such as flag-hoisting programmes, door-to-door campaigns, street plays and public meetings, carried out day and night without rest.'

Tracing the party's ideological roots, Stalin recalled the youthful leadership of the Dravidian movement, noting that leaders such as C.N. Annadurai and M. Karunanidhi took on major responsibilities in their early years.

'The firebrand spirit of that generation laid the foundation for the DMK's sustained ideological struggle against social injustice, Hindi imposition and regressive forces, transforming Tamil Nadu into a State that now commands national attention,' CM Stalin said.

Highlighting the role of the Youth Wing, which was formally launched in 1980, Stalin said the organisation had stood firm through trials, repression and political challenges, remaining the backbone of the DMK's ideological journey.

Praising Deputy CM Udhayanidhi Stalin, CM Stalin said he has strengthened the Youth Wing structurally and ideologically by enrolling lakhs of young members, conducting ideological training camps, creating a new generation of speakers and promoting political education through books, libraries and intellectual festivals.

'He has understood what the party needs and is functioning with clarity and strength. That is why ideological opponents themselves call him 'most dangerous',' he said.

Stalin also launched a sharp attack on the BJP, alleging that after forming the government at the Centre for a third time, right-wing and regressive forces have become increasingly aggressive. He accused them of spreading misinformation, hatred and regressive ideas through 'sugar-coated lies', particularly via social media platforms. He urged DMK cadres to counter falsehoods with facts and ideology, stating that silence in the face of lies would allow them to spread like an infection.

Stalin asserted that the DMK is the only State-level party in India waging a consistent ideological battle against the BJP.

Calling upon Youth Wing members to remain rooted among the people, Stalin said politics is not about comfort but hard work, and that those who work tirelessly will earn a permanent place not just in the party but in the hearts of the people.

The future of Tamil Nadu and the Tamil people is inseparable from the future of the DMK, the Chief Minister said. He further urged young cadres to become the foundation of the next phase of the Dravidian model.

'You must create history,' he told them, asking the gathering to loudly affirm their mission for 2026 as 'Dravidian Model 2.0'. (ANI)