CHENNAI: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, made a series of allegations against the DMK government while campaigning for NDA candidates in Tamil Nadu ahead of the April Assembly election.
Addressing reporters at a hotel in Guindy, he said he was surprised by Chief Minister MK Stalin’s remark that Tamil Nadu had defeated Delhi and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the delimitation issue. He alleged that the DMK and the Congress were opposing the Women’s Reservation Bill for political reasons.
Recalling that the Congress did not support the Bill in 1996, he said that despite the Prime Minister explaining delimitation with data, the Opposition was not ready to listen. He clarified that delimitation would only increase seats based on population and that southern States would not be affected.
He alleged that Chennai airport, though very old, lagged behind airports in Bengaluru and Hyderabad. He also said the information technology sector was stronger in those cities, while Chennai’s talent was moving abroad due to lack of infrastructure.
Referring to Coimbatore, he said it was once India’s industrial hub and questioned its current condition. He added that only 9% of the memoranda of understanding signed by Tamil Nadu had been implemented.
Highlighting civic issues, he flagged poor road quality in Chennai, incomplete stormwater drain works, and alleged a 59% rise in crimes against women in the State. He also alleged corruption in liquor sales.
Despite the Centre allocating Rs 9,000 crore for Chennai Metro Phase II, he said the DMK government continued to blame the Prime Minister. A State grows well only when it works closely with the Centre, he said, adding that a grand airport was being built in Amaravati with the Centre’s support.
On Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam leader Vijay, he said leaders such as NT Rama Rao and MG Ramachandran were incomparable and that it remained to be seen whether Vijay would serve people effectively as a political leader.
Calling himself a Dravidian, Naidu recalled NTR’s long association with Tamil Nadu. He praised the State’s culture, economy, and icons from Kambar to APJ Abdul Kalam, but said infrastructure was not up to the mark.
He praised Edappadi K Palaniswami as a strong leader and urged people to vote for the NDA for a developed Tamil Nadu. He also spoke of plans for a high-speed rail corridor connecting Andhra Pradesh, Bengaluru, Chennai, and Amaravati.
Earlier, Naidu campaigned in Coimbatore and Chennai through roadshows for NDA candidates. He is scheduled to campaign in Sattur for BJP State president Nainar Nagendran and in Kovilpatti for other NDA candidates.