BJP national president J.P. Nadda on Sunday criticised the DMK and other parties in the Opposition’s Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), and said it was all about family politics and corruption.
“Tamil Nadu has made rich contribution towards nation-building and other fields such as art, literature and culture, but it is suffering from very poor leadership by the DMK which is in power,” he said, during a public meeting at Mint Street, Harbour, in Chennai.
The meeting was organised to mark Tamil Nadu BJP president K. Annamalai’s En Mann, En Makkal yatra, covering the 200th Assembly constituency, Harbour. Mr. Nadda said that dynasty politics was prevalent in the DMK, the Congress, the Samajwadi party, the Rashtriya Janata Dal, the YSR Congress, and the Nationalist Congress Party, and added, “DMK means ‘Dynasty, Money swindling and Katta Panchayat.”
The BJP leader further said, “One of their [the DMK’s] MLAs has been in jail for 200 days and continues to be Minister. Another is convicted in a case filed by the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti Corruption.” According to him, the DMK had not fulfilled its poll promises and “the day when the DMK and Mr. Stalin would be voted out was not far”.
North-south divide
He alleged that the DMK was creating a north-south divide by stating that the Centre was ignoring Tamil Nadu. But, the State has benefited from schemes such as the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Yojana and Ujjwala Yojana, among others, he said. “Tamil Nadu is very much in the hearts of the BJP. It is special to Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” he said adding, “The DMK leadership lacks vision.”
He further said that on his way to the venue of the meeting, he noticed that streetlights were put out, markets were shut down, and police were deployed. “It made me remember the days of Emergency. Is this democracy? Is this the tradition of Tamil Nadu? The DMK does not respect democracy. Such leadership should not represent Tamil Nadu,” he added.
Mr. Nadda further said that India had become the third-biggest automobile market, surpassing Japan and the fifth-largest economy, overtaking the U.K. As much as 97% of the mobile phones sold are now made in India.
