Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday hit out at the ruling DMK government in Tamil Nadu, saying the party’s dream of returning to power will turn into a “nightmare”.Prime Minister Modi today inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of infrastructure projects worth Rs 4,400 crore in Tamil Nadu’s Madurai ahead of the state assembly elections.
He laid the foundation stone for construction of four-laning of Marakkanam-Puducherry section of NH-332A and Paramakudi-Ramanathapuram section of NH-87 and said these projects will ease the travel of pilgrims and ensure smooth transportation of agricultural and marine goods. Addressing the gathering in Madurai, he called for a “developed Tamil Nadu for a developed India” and assured the Centre’s support for “inclusive development” in the state.
The Prime Minister said, “Every Indian is driven to build a developed nation by 2047, and Tamil Nadu will play a decisive role in shaping the future of the nation. Our collective goal is ‘Developed Tamil Nadu for a Developed India’. The Center is fully committed to enabling inclusive growth and progress of the state.”
At an NDA rally in Madurai, expressing confidence over the victory of the AIADMK-BJP alliance, PM Modi described the upcoming assembly elections as a “turning point” for the state. Addressing the rally, he said, “Some people are dreaming of returning to power in Tamil Nadu, but when they see this huge NDA rally, their dreams will turn into nightmares.”
This election is a turning point for Tamil Nadu. The people have made up their minds; People have decided that DMK has to be sent out of power. They also know very well that only NDA can bring change. The next government in Tamil Nadu will be NDA. Prime Minister Modi described Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin’s statement that “DMK is not afraid of Prime Minister Modi, not even if the Prime Minister’s father comes”, as a “symbol of respect” for democratic values.
Prime Minister Modi this morning offered prayers at the Arulmigu Subramanya Swamy temple in the wake of the Karthikai Deepam controversy and said he had met the family of devotee Purnachandran who set himself on fire amid the controversy.
The Prime Minister criticized the DMK for opposing the Madras High Court’s decision allowing devotees to light ceremonial lamps at the Deepa Thoon located on the Tiruparankundram hilltop, and said “truth and Lord Murugan will prevail.”
Addressing the gathering in Madurai he said “Before coming here, I had gone to Tiruparankundram to have darshan of Lord Murugan for a divine experience. I prayed for the prosperity of Tamil Nadu and the entire country. At the same time my heart became heavy and I remembered the young devotee who sacrificed his life. Today I met his wife and their two young children. I felt that pain and I expressed my deepest condolences to them. Whatever the DMK does, truth and God The devotees of Murugan will win.”
Addressing the NDA rally, leader of opposition in Tamil Nadu Assembly and AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami said the AIADMK-BJP led alliance will win around 210 out of 234 seats in the upcoming elections. Criticizing the ruling DMK, he termed it an “anti-people government” which the alliance aims to remove from power.
BJP leader Tamilisai Soundararajan accused the DMK government of discrimination against Hindus and said PM Modi’s visit to the Murugan temple will boost the morale of devotees.
Speaking to reporters, Soundararajan said, “Despite the court order, Hindus were discriminated against and humiliated. The Prime Minister’s visit to the Tamil deity Murugan temple has given a huge moral support to everyone. Even the mothers who were fighting among themselves were crying because they could not light the lamp. The Prime Minister’s speech was full of how Tamil Nadu could be developed and the Chief Minister’s biased attitude towards the Central government was the cause of Tamil Nadu’s downfall. Poor people are being deprived of benefits from the central government.”
He further said, “The youth of Tamil Nadu will not accept such partisan attitudes and actions as Tamil Nadu is a country with a liberal mindset. The Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu should not behave like this.”
Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) President Anbumani Ramadoss accused the Tamil Nadu government of trying to stop the crowd from entering the rally.
Anbumani Ramadoss said “The NDA meeting in Madurai today was a wonderful meeting with a huge turnout. Half the crowd could not come in due to the deliberate attempt by the Tamil Nadu government to stop the crowd from coming in. Our Prime Minister gave an inspiring speech about the history of Tamil Nadu, its achievements and what his government has done for Tamil Nadu. He also pointed out what shortcomings there were in the past when the DMK and Congress were together,” Anbumani Ramadoss said.
Vaiko said, “Welcome to Prime Minister Modi in Tamil Nadu. It will have no impact on the upcoming assembly elections because now the people of Tamil Nadu have recognized the truth and the lie. Metro rail project has not been started in Madurai, Coimbatore and even Trichy. We owe Rs 3000 crore to the central government. The reason Tamil Nadu is not getting the funds is that we do not follow the three language policy,” Vaiko said.
After the rally, the situation worsened for the NDA when there was a clash between AIADMK and AMMK workers in Madurai, in which a worker was reportedly injured. Meanwhile, in Puducherry, Prime Minister Modi inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of projects worth Rs 2,700 crore, including the launch of e-buses under the PM e-Bus Seva initiative, Integrated Command and Control Center under the Smart Cities Mission, City Investments to Housing for economically weaker sections and important projects in the sewerage and water supply sector are included under the Innovate, Integrate and Sustain (CITIIS) initiative.
He highlighted the potential of Puducherry to emerge as a major medical tourism hub and pointed out that the region already has nine medical colleges. Addressing a public meeting in Puducherry, the Prime Minister said, “Any nation can progress only when its human capital is healthy; that is why healthcare is our top priority. We believe that healthcare should be accessible, available and affordable to all. The Ayushman Bharat scheme is fulfilling this goal for crores of families across India. No citizen of Puducherry should be forced to travel far for treatment. Instead, we want people from other areas to come here for treatment. I am confident that Puducherry can become a medical tourism hub.
Taking an indirect hit at the Gandhi family, PM Modi said that Congress had made Puducherry an ATM for the East. Talking about DMK, a long list of scams is being seen in Tamil Nadu too. Congress and DMK have become a hindrance in the development of Puducherry. Now the same forces are desperate for power again. Should Puducherry go back to that era of corruption and crime? I am sure that the people of Puducherry do not want this. Prime Minister Modi said.
However, former Puducherry Chief Minister and Congress leader Velu Narayanasamy took a dig at the BJP, saying that when Union Minister Amit Shah came to the Union Territory, he criticized the government, while the translator praised him. Ahead of the Puducherry Assembly elections, Prime Minister Modi took the opportunity to attack the Congress, saying the opposition party “has created hurdles in the development of Puducherry”.
Narayanasamy said, “Home Minister Amit Shah had come to Karaikal. Half the time he abused me on the stage itself, and the translator said that Narayanasamy’s government was the best. When Prime Minister Modi comes, he will also blame me because I have been the target of the BJP. I have been attacking him day and night. If I have been involved in corruption as a Union Minister while being the Chief Minister and in-charge of the CBI, then why have they not registered a case against me? Do? I challenge them. This time the Congress-CDMK alliance will come to power.”
Assembly elections will be held in both the states of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry this year. While the BJP is trying to retain power in Puducherry with its alliance partner All India NR Congress (AINRC), the party will be aiming to win the Tamil Nadu elections with ally AIADMK.
