By Kavita Mistry 
Chennai: Soon after India launched Operation Sindoor on 7 May targeting terror infrastructure in Pakistan in the wake of the Pahalgam attack, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, leader of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), was among the first people to laud the Indian Army.
In a statement on 9 May, Stalin said a rally was being organised to honour the bravery, sacrifice and dedication of the Indian Army and to strengthen national unity.
“This is a crucial moment to express our unwavering support for the Indian Army, which has bravely defended the nation against cross-border terrorism and incursions,” he stated.
A day later, Stalin, with senior officials of the government, led the solidarity rally in Chennai.
The move, according to one political analyst, was an attempt to showcase the DMK’s patriotism as the party has previously been tagged as “secessionist” because of its demand for a separate Dravida Nadu, and later for speaking up for state autonomy.
Not just this time, the DMK, in a bid to shed the tag, has raised its voice verbosely in support of the army every time there have been border tensions. The only exception was when the Indian Army intervened in Sri Lanka during 1987-1990.
Speaking to ThePrint, political analyst Maalan Narayanan said the DMK was under compulsion to organise a solidarity rally to give credit to the Indian Army, and not the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre which had empowered the forces by giving them a free hand to respond to terror activities emanating from across the border with Pakistan.
“DMK has been talking against Union government policies, including the new education policy. They even went to the Supreme Court against the Governor and got orders in favour of the state. So, to wipe it off and showcase their patriotism, they organised such a rally,” he said.
Tamil National Liberation Movement general secretary Thozhar Thiyagu termed the rally by the DMK as “unwanted”. The socio-political organisation focuses on Tamil national identity and the rights and aspirations of the Tamil people.
“The party never had any policy on foreign affairs. They have always been in favour of the Union government’s external policy as long as it does not affect electoral prospects in the state. They have always been in favour of the army and its actions,” Thiyagu told ThePrint.
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‘Support to Army does not mean support to Centre’
The DMK, founded in 1949, had demanded the creation of a separate Dravida Nadu until 1962. During the Indo-China war of 1962, following then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s appeal that parties give up their regional demands and unite, DMK general secretary C.N. Annadurai, fondly called Anna (elder brother), gave up the demand.
According to a paper titled ‘Contextualising Charismatic Leadership: An analysis of Tamil Nationalism’ by R Thirunavukkarasu, Anna also appealed from prison to fight against Chinese aggression.
“Possible ban on such separatist movements by the central government could have forced Annadurai to give up his separation demand,” Thirunavukkarasu noted.
Thiyagu recalled that the then DMK party had even collected money for the China war.
“The party leader Annadurai even appealed to the people to support the country by donating the gold jewels they had saved,” he said.
K. Ramakrishnan, leader of anti-caste outfit Thanthai Periyar Dravidar Kazhagam and an ardent follower of Periyar, said support to the Indian Army did not mean support to the Centre.
“Even during the China war in 1962 and Indo-Pakistan War of 1965, Anna criticised the Congress-led central government over its defence policies, but supported national unity against external aggression. Support to the Indian Army does not mean support to the central government,” he said.
After giving up the demand for a separate Dravida Nadu, Anna had famously said, “I have only given up the Dravida Nadu demand. But, not even one of the reasons for seeking Dravida Nadu.”
Until 2018, Stalin had been reiterating the same. “Anna had said that though we give up the demand for Dravida Nadu, the reasons for the demand still hold good,” he said in 2018.
DMK backs the Army
A close look at reactions of the DMK since its formation shows the party has supported the Indian Army irrespective of who was in power at the Centre.
It was only in 1990 that then CM and DMK leader M. Karunanidhi chose not to attend the official welcome ceremony for the Indian Peace-Keeping Force (IPKF) in Chennai, when the troops returned from Sri Lanka.
The IPKF was deployed in Sri Lanka under the 1987 Indo-Sri Lanka accord to enforce a ceasefire and disarm Tamil militants, including the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) led by V. Prabhakaran. However, the IPKF faced criticism for its failure to achieve peace and there were allegations of civilian death, rapes and aerial attacks on Tamil villages in Sri Lanka.
According to Thiyagu, Karunanidhi had supported the IPKF operations. “When they were first sent to Sri Lanka, he was the first person to support it. Since the IPKF’s actions might affect the electoral prospects of the party in Tamil Nadu, he did not attend the welcome ceremony. The party’s 2024 Lok Sabha election manifesto has nothing about the Tamils in Sri Lanka,” Thiyagu said.
The DMK has previously too voiced support for the Indian Army. In the Indo-Pakistan war of 1965, the party supported the army efforts but was critical of the Congress-led central government over its economic policies.
Similarly, in the 1971 Indo-Pakistan war, Karunanidhi strongly supported India’s role in the conflict and even praised then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Speaking in the assembly in 1971, Karunanidhi lauded it as a “heroic victory” and extended Tamil Nadu’s full support. “Tamil Nadu stands with the nation in this triumph for justice,” he said.
In 1999, the DMK, which was part of the National Democratic Alliance led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee, unequivocally supported the Indian Army operations in Kargil and praised the Centre. In a statement in 1999, Karunanidhi said: “The Indian Army has shown unparalleled courage in Kargil and Tamil Nadu salutes our martyrs.”
Then in 2016, following a terrorist attack on an Indian Army base in Uri of Jammu & Kashmir, India conducted surgical strikes across the Line of Control (LoC). The DMK, which was then the opposition party in Tamil Nadu, supported the action. However, Stalin, then working president of the party, urged the Centre to strengthen border security.
“The DMK stands firmly with our armed forces in their fight against terrorism. The surgical strikes are a bold step to deter Pakistan’s nefarious designs,” Stalin had said in a statement in September 2016.
In 2019, the DMK supported the army’s actions during the Balakot airstrikes as well, but Stalin also warned the BJP-led central government against politicising the matter.
“The IAF’s strike in Balakot is a fitting reply to Pakistan’s terrorism. The DMK salutes our forces. Let us not politicise their bravery,” he wrote on X. He also accused the BJP of using the Balakot strikes for votes.
(Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)
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