- Nirmala Sitharaman said NDA will give a strong fight to DMK in Tamil Nadu elections
- She claimed NDA is strong, intact, and moving in a concerted fashion
- Sitharaman said DMK appears nervous as evident from its recent statements
The NDA will give a strong fight to the DMK in Tamil Nadu, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said at NDTV Profit Conclave 2026.
She said the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is strong and intact, and it is moving in a very concerted fashion.
"It will be a strong fight... The ruling DMK cannot be confident. Their conduct in the last one year shows they are completely nervous," Sitharaman said.
The comments and statements "coming from their [DMK] ministers, freebies, temple visit optics, etc" clearly show the ruling party led by Chief Minister MK Stalin is nervous about facing the election, the Union Finance Minister said.
One of the limitations of the DMK, she said, appears to be its realisation that it can no longer get votes only by talking about Tamil Nadu and its development, Sitharaman said, suggesting the DMK has limited range and appeal outside of the state border.
The Union Finance Minister, who recently presented a Budget that received praise for striking a balance between welfare and spending at a time when assembly elections are scheduled in many states, punched a hole in Stalin's frequent charge that the Centre discriminates against southern states in revenue-sharing.
"The Centre works for everyone, not just BJP-ruled states. We have told states that their borrowing is unsustainable," she said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is also scheduled to visit Madurai. Tamil Nadu BJP president Nainar Nagenthran has said a few parties would join the NDA ahead of his visit.
Stating that the BJP has planned a massive meeting in Madurai in which all the NDA leaders will share the dais with the Prime Minister, Nagenthran said PM Modi was likely to visit Tirupparankundram Murugan temple.
The Prime Minister will address the rally at Mandela Nagar near Madurai airport. PM Modi had launched the first rally of the NDA at Maduranthakam near Chennai on January 23.
