The term “Dravidian Model” gained prominence after the DMK returned to power in 2021, with Chief Minister M.K. Stalin repeatedly using it in public forums as a counter to the widely discussed “Gujarat Model,” according to a commentary published in Dinamalar.
The article says the phrase was amplified by party leaders and supporters, and became widespread on social media. Opposition parties, it adds, frequently questioned the slogan by linking it to various controversies and incidents that circulated online.
It notes that in 2022, during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Chennai for a government event at the Nehru Indoor Stadium, Stalin described the “Dravidian Model” as development that includes social justice, equality and women’s justice. Pro-DMK media, the commentary says, highlighted the speech as a moment of the Chief Minister explaining the concept on a national stage.
The piece further claims that sustained criticism from political figures Seeman and K. Annamalai challenged the ideological foundations associated with the term, including references to E.V. Ramasamy’s writings. It argues that, with elections approaching, the slogan is heard less in campaign platforms, and that the party’s messaging has shifted—leading some political observers to describe the phrase as steadily losing its impact.
