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DMK and Cong trying to divide country: PM in TN
Modi’s attack came a day after he heaped praises on the founder of the DMK’s regional rival All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and ally Congress are trying to divide the country on the basis of language, religion and caste, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Wednesday as he tore into the Tamil Nadu government for “not cooperating” with the Centre over development and welfare projects.
Modi’s attack came a day after he heaped praises on the founder of the DMK’s regional rival All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, former chief ministers MG Ramachandra and J Jayalalithaa, in what was seen as an attempt to increase the BJP’s base in a state it has historically struggled in.
“I have come to Tamil Nadu for the service of the land and to change its fate,” Modi said in Thoothukudi and accused the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance regime of not having the courage to take steps for the welfare of Tamil Nadu. “The projects that I have brought today were people’s demands for decades, but UPA never cared about it. But today, this “sevak” has come here to write the destiny of this state.”
His remarks came on the second day of his two day visit to Tamil Nadu. Earlier in the day, in Thoothukudi, Modi launched projects worth ₹17,000 crore including the spaceport to launch small satellites from Kulasekarapatinam town. After the event, the Prime Minister addressed a public rally in neighbouring Tirunelveli district where he accused the DMK government of not cooperating with the Centre.
He cited the example of minister of state and former Tamil Nadu BJP chief L Murugan being sent to the Rajya Sabha from “Hindi-speaking” Madhya Pradesh. “DMK and Congress are playing divide and rule using language, religion and caste…They don’t want a united India.”
Modi also referred to the Ram temple consecration ceremony and said when a related matter came up in Parliament, DMK members walked away. “DMK again proved how much it hates your faith,” Modi said.
Modi also countered criticism by the DMK government, along with other southern states, that the Union government was withholding central funds, and argued that Tamil Nadu was not cooperating.
Listing central schemes and programmes rolled out in Tamil Nadu, Modi said, “DMK is not cooperating with us. They keep finding fault with us. They want to restrict us but in spite of that we deliver. Modi will not let them loot you.”
He promised that more development projects will be implemented in Tamil Nadu if he was elected for the third time.
He also praised MG Ramachandran, calling him a “true leader”.“MGR did not practice dynasty politics,” he had said earlier.
Meanwhile, reacting to Modi’s remarks, Thoothukudi MP Kanimozhi said that Tamil Nadu’s people knew that “it is the BJP which is being divisive and they will not fall for propaganda.”
In a hard-hitting statement, DMK treasurer and the party’s Parliamentary Party Leader TR Baalu said that Modi had himself had been critical of the AIADMK government during the 2016 Assembly polls and slammed it over corruption “but has now made a somersault.” news agency PTI reported.
Modi’s strident criticism of the DMK stemmed from the fact that the party president and chief minister M K Stalin played a vital role in the creation of the opposition INDIA bloc, Baalu further said.
“DMK brought projects not just to Tamil Nadu but for the entire country,” the former union minister said.
He sought to know what the BJP had done for Tamil Nadu.
In recent years, tensions have been rising between non-BJP-ruled southern states and the Centre over claims of alleged institutional and political injustice on the fiscal federalism front. The arguments are centred around two points; a continuous fall in the share of these states in central taxes, and the Centre allegedly holding back non-formula driven grants and project support, due to what these states allege is political vendetta.
