Attacking the ruling DMK over the alleged drug menace in Tamil Nadu, BJP leader and Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday accused the party of doing a disservice to the younger generation by not curbing the import and supply of drugs.
Speaking at a public meeting in Chidambaram to canvass votes for BJP Lok Sabha candidate P. Karthiyayini, she said that the youth of the State had innate talent and potential to be employed in Global Capability Centres and the aircraft maintenance and overhaul (MRO) facility at Sulur in Coimbatore. However, instead of making them employable, the DMK was ruining their lives with the import of drugs, she claimed.
Ms. Sitharaman charged the previous Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government with mismanaging the economy, and said that it had left the country in dire straits. A number of scams took place in various sectors, and the country was pushed into the “fragile five” in the world. It was only after the BJP assumed office that Prime Minister Narendra Modi put the nation first and lifted the country from the “fragile five” to the ‘‘top five”, she said.
Referring to the poor state of Annamalai University in Chidambaram, Ms. Sitharaman said that the institution was started by an individual over a 100 years ago with a lofty objective of providing education. But persistent intervention and subsequent takeover of the institution by the State government led to its deterioration and current state.
After the government took over the institution, the Pro-Chancellor and Board members were removed. The current condition of the hospital and the institution was pathetic, she said. Though the institution was under the control of the State government, steps would be taken to help it regain its past glory through the National Education Policy, she added.
