Ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin is set to launch his own podcast to address the nation. The podcast called ‘Speaking for India’ will begin airing from Monday, September 4, and is projected as a ‘voice from the south’. It appears to be Stalin’s attempt to assert his party’s presence in the Opposition’s newly formed INDIA bloc. The podcast will be produced by Populous Empowerment Network (PEN), an organisation that manages the DMK’s political affairs and outreach programs, founded by Stalin’s son-in-law Sabareesan. A PEN representative told TNM, “Consider this the start of campaigning for the 2024 elections.”
According to a PEN representative, the podcast will start off by addressing the BJP-led Union government’s failures in the last 9.5 years it has been in power. The CM will speak about what the BJP has done against the rights of the people and against state rights.”
When asked if Speaking for India will function as a counter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Mann Ki Baat, the representative of PEN said that the two are completely different. “Mann Ki Baat is Modi addressing the people of the country as Prime Minister. He usually speaks on general issues such as exam stress. Speaking for India is MK Stalin speaking as a political leader to the people, as an important part of the INDIA alliance. This will be entirely about politics.”
The podcast is an extension of the Chief Minister’s letters to the public – Ungalil Oruvan – in the DMK mouthpiece Murasoli. Ungalil Oruvan is also the title of Stalin’s autobiography, which has been translated into English as One Among You.
The PEN representative added, “In the future episodes, we plan to bring in guest speakers. We will also include responses to the public and media reactions to the previous episodes. Whether the episodes will air on a weekly or fortnightly basis is yet to be decided. This may also change depending on factors such as how close the elections are.”
He said that the podcast is aimed at young students and first-time voters, with an intention of reaching them on digital platforms like Spotify where the podcast already has a page. People will also be able to view the podcast on the morning news in Tamil channels, on Stalin’s personal social media handles including YouTube, and on the ‘Speaking for India’ website.
In the short promotional video tweeted by Stalin on August 31, the Chief Minister said, “The DMK is an age-old party nearing its 75th year. The party is the third largest in the Indian Parliament. The party has created an impact on the national landscape because of leaders like Anna [Durai] and Muthamizh Arignar Kalaignar [M Karunanidhi]. Now it’s time to speak up again for India. The BJP rule is going to end in 2024. In what ways have they destroyed India? What kind of equality and fraternity are we going to build in the future? I’m going to speak about these issues in an audio series. Shall we call it Speaking for India?” The video included references to the ethnic clashes in Manipur, the Comptroller and Auditor General report, the farmer’s protests, and other issues.