Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, hitting out at the AIADMK and BJP, has assured the Muslim people that the DMK, led by him, will always be a party that protects their rights and secures rights for them. Pointing to the presence of Muslim leaders belonging to various parties, he said unity is the first step towards victory. It was Karunanidhi who declared a holiday for Milad-un-Nabi way back in 1969 and while the AIADMK regime rescinded it in 2001, the DMK government reinstated the holiday in 2006. Listing the welfare initiatives implemented by the DMK regime for Muslims, Stalin said it would take many hours to list all the schemes launched by the DMK government at various times for the Islamic people. The DMK chief said: "Always, the DMK will be one among you; the DMK will always protect the rights of the Muslim people and secure the rights of the Muslim people."