COIMBATORE: Chief Minister and DMK president MK Stalin on Thursday took a jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying that his frequent visits to Tamil Nadu would only boost the electoral prospects of DMK in the upcoming polls.
Addressing a campaign meeting in Coimbatore, Stalin said Modi comes frequently to Tamil Nadu only during the election season. “Even on March 4, the Prime Minister is arriving. He came for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, and the DMK-led alliance swept the polls,” he said.
“This time too, his visits will only make it easier for us to achieve our target of a win of 200 seats,” Stalin said, adding that the margin of victory for the DMK alliance would increase with each visit by Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
“Former Governor RN Ravi, who used to be our party’s main campaigner, had been sent at a time when we desperately needed him,” Stalin quipped.
Taking a further swipe, Stalin accused BJP leaders of “putting on a show” of affection for the Tamil language and culture during visits, while undermining it otherwise. Criticising remarks by Modi during election campaigning in Bihar, that people of their state are harassed in Tamil Nadu, Stalin challenged him to repeat such statements during his campaign in Tamil Nadu.
“Is it appropriate for someone of his stature to speak so? People from different castes, religions, and states live here in harmony,” he said.
Referring to a series of controversies involving BJP leaders including statements by Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan that people of Tamil Nadu are uncivilized, portrayal of Tamils as thieves over Puri Jagannath Temple issue in Odisha, denial of states tableau featuring statues of freedom fighters for Republic Day parade in Delhi and Union Minister Shobha Karandlaje's statement that people of Tamil Nadu were involved in planting bombs in Karnataka, the Chief Minister said that this is the true identity of BJP and they reflected a pattern of disrespect towards Tamil Nadu.
Slamming the union government for denying Metro Rail projects for Coimbatore and Madurai, while bringing the project to cities like Agra and Patna with smaller populations, Stalin said the people of Tamil Nadu will give a befitting lesson to the party that attempts to win by creating riots.
Turning his criticism towards the opposition AIADMK, Stalin accused its general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami of copying the DMK's previous manifesto, while replicating welfare schemes originally introduced by the incumbent.
He claimed that key initiatives such as financial assistance for women and Vidiyal Payanam had been mirrored in the AIADMK’s election manifesto, and questioned the party’s record during its decade-long tenure in power.
Stalin also urged voters to reject their divisive politics and support the DMK-led alliance, asserting that Tamil Nadu would “teach a lesson” to forces attempting to gain power through polarisation. Earlier, the Chief Minister held a road show in Coimbatore.