Prime Minister M K Stalin on Wednesday said the upcoming Assembly elections are a battle between Tamil Nadu and the NDA, while criticizing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the state, scheduled for March 1.
Speaking at an event in Kanyakumari, Stalin said: “Prime Minister Modi is likely to visit Tamil Nadu more frequently. The NDA parties are concerned about his visits because the margin of their defeat will be greater the more times he visits the state.”
Claiming that the Prime Minister’s visit will serve as a reminder to Tamil Nadu that the Center has kept the state free of major central government benefits, CM Stalin said: “Even yesterday, the Cabinet approved the Metro Rail project for Gujarat, but nothing for Tamil Nadu.” “Even with the elections approaching, nothing has been allocated in the budget either… The BJP seeks to suppress and weaken Tamil Nadu in every way,” he added.
Stalin criticized the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK)-BJP alliance as a “failure”. “The AIADMK is relying on the Dubba (empty box)-BJP engine, while the BJP is relying on the sinking ship AIADMK,” Stalin said. “The typical Dravidian government is a hyperdrive, with double-digit growth of 11.19%.”
Stalin said the DMK government would protect against what he claimed was the religious policy of the BJP. “Under a typical Dravidian government, religious harmony and unity are maintained. In Tamil Nadu everyone is treated equally,” he said.
In response, the BJP claimed that the Prime Minister’s visit would mark a “decisive end to the corrupt DMK regime”.
“The dual rule of Prime Minister Modi and Edappadi Palaniswami will create a Tamil Nadu free from the grip of the DMK.” BJP spokesperson Anas Prasad told HT.
