Maduranthakam, 23 Jan

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday kickstarted the NDA's 2026 election campaign in Tamil Nadu, mounting a spirited attack on the ruling DMK on issues, including corruption and coined an abbreviation - CMC - to lash out at the Dravidian party.

According to the PM, CMC means "Corruption, Mafia,Crime."

"The DMK is CMC - a Corruption, Mafia, Crime promoting government. The people of Tamil Nadu have made up their mind to uproot DMK, CMC," he said at the massive gathering comprising of public and cadres from NDA constituents, including the AIADMK, AMMK and PMK (Anbumani faction).

In his maiden visit to Tamil Nadu in the poll year, the PM's rally turned out to be a show of strength with top leaders from the key alliance parties - AIADMK chief and Leader of Opposition Edappadi K Palaniswami, Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK) chief TTV Dhinakaran, PMK's Dr Anbumani Ramadoss, TMCM leader GK Vasan and many others in attendance.

Continuing his attack against the DMK, Modi said the party-led government's "countdown has started."

Tamil Nadu wants to be free of DMK's "misgovernance," and was looking forward to the BJP-NDA's good governance, he said.

Lashing out at the DMK over the Thirupparankundram LordMurugan Temple Karthigai lamp lighting row, he said that while "our leaders stood by devotees' rights, the DMK left no stone unturned for vote bank politics." The party did not even spare the court.

Further, dynasty, corruption, abusing women and our culture are the "routes" for one's growth in the Dravidian party, he alleged.

The DMK government has nothing to do with democracy and accountability and "functions for only one family," he said.

Even a child in the State knows how much corruption was happening and whose pockets the money reaches, he said.

"We have to free TN from the clutches of the DMK," he said, and batted for a "double engine" government in the State that walks "shoulder to shoulder" with the Centre for Tamil Nadu's growth and progress.

The menace of drugs and crime was rampant in the State, he said, claiming youth were falling prey to narcotics while women suffered due tothe instances of crime.

Recalling the late Chief Minister, he said "Selvi (Ms) J Jayalalithaa did great work in controlling crime in Tamil Nadu, but today women are suffering."