In his maiden speech as the Dravida Munnetra Kazhgam's (DMK) president, MK Stalin asked party colleagues to work with him to teach Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "spineless" government "a lesson", and remove it from power.

He warned them of a "threat to secularism", and accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of trying to destroy India's institutions.

He appealed to his DMK colleagues to work for the downtrodden, protect the freedom of speech, and fight against the imposition of other languages on Tamil Nadu -- where Tamil is spoken by an overwhelming majority of the population.

I feel honoured and grateful to have been elected as the President of the DMK party.



I pledge to protect, cherish and advance the four founding principles of our party: Self Respect, Social Justice, Rationalism and Secularism. M.K.Stalin (@mkstalin) August 28, 2018

"From this moment, I am reborn," Stalin said.

Stalin, 65, was elected party president today -- unopposed -- at a general council meeting held in Chennai. The DMK, now a member of the United Progressive Alliance, was led by Karunanidhi until his death on August 7.

Stalin is Karunanidhi's son. He remembered his father in his speech, and said he regretted that the veteran leader wasn't there to see such a major event take place.

READ | DMK wants Bharat Ratna for Karunanidhi

Stalin also said he didn't have his father's command of Tamil.

"But I stand before you," he said, "with a willingness to learn and work for the party."

WATCH | Can Stalin keep DMK flock together?