Nirmala Sitharaman Slams DMK’s Dravidian Model as Separatist, Highlights Governance Failures

New Delhi, September 8, 2025 – Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman launched a blistering critique of Tamil Nadu’s ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), accusing it of fostering a “separatist mindset” under the guise of its Dravidian model of politics.

Speaking to PTI, Sitharaman dismissed DMK’s claims that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) opposes Dravidian interests as a “bogus argument,” asserting that the DMK uses emotive issues like language and regional identity to deflect from its governance failures, including corruption, caste-based violence, and rising drug abuse.

Sitharaman, a native of Tamil Nadu, condemned the DMK for its alleged focus on divisive rhetoric, such as complaints about tax revenues benefiting states like Bihar. “Is Bihar in Pakistan? People from Bihar work in your factories, and you profit, but you want to keep your tax money to yourself,” she remarked, labeling this stance as separatist.

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She highlighted persistent caste-violence, particularly against Scheduled Castes, citing incidents like water source contamination and “honour killings happening left, right, and centre,” which she said contradict DMK’s social justice claims. The minister pointed to corruption allegations against DMK ministers, some of whom faced jail, and the party’s alleged ties to a drug smuggler, contrasting this with the Modi government’s clean record.

She also raised concerns about increasing drug abuse in Tamil Nadu, a state she claimed had no such issues previously, and cited deaths from spurious liquor as evidence of misgovernance.

Sitharaman referenced the December 2024 Anna University rape case, questioning the DMK’s handling of justice, given the accused’s alleged links to the ruling party. She praised Tamil Nadu’s tradition of women in leadership, citing former Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa, and accused the DMK of failing to uphold this legacy.

Expressing confidence in the AIADMK-BJP alliance for the 2026 Tamil Nadu assembly polls, Sitharaman highlighted the Modi government’s contributions to the state, including ports, highways, and educational institutes, as key poll planks against DMK’s “peak misgovernance.”

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