Kanyakumari: Prime Minister Narendra Modi waves to supporters during a public meeting, ahead of the Lok Sabha election, in Kanyakumari, Friday, March 15, 2024
Credit: PTI Photo
Chennai: Amidst opinion polls projecting a massive increase in BJP’s vote percentage in Tamil Nadu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said the party’s performance in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in the state will “shatter” the DMK-Congress alliance, which he said, was identified only with “scams” from 2004-2014.
Addressing a public meeting in Kanyakumari, a stronghold of the BJP, Modi launched a frontal attack on the DMK on a slew of issues, including stopping the screening of the inauguration of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, and accused it of acting against the interests of Tamil traditions and culture by keeping quiet when Congress government banned jallikattu.
In his speech, the Prime Minister made an attempt to project the DMK and Congress of acting against the interests of Tamil Nadu and its fishermen by “gifting” Katchatheevu to neighbouring Sri Lanka which increased the risk of the fisherfolk, who are subjected to attacks from the Sri Lankan Navy.
Making yet another attempt to woo AIADMK votes, Modi invoked late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa saying everyone knew how the DMK “treated her” because she was a woman, and said the rousing reception he got in Kanyakumari would lead to “sleepless nights” for many in Delhi.
“I began the ‘Ekta Yatra’ in 1991 from Kanyakumari to Kashmir, and in 2024, I have come to Kanyakumari from Kashmir. J&K has rejected the dreams of people who wanted to break the country and now the people of Tamil Nadu will do the same. The performance of BJP in Tamil Nadu this election will shatter the DMK and Congress,” Modi said.
The Prime Minister’s “confidence” comes amidst an array of opinion polls done by national and regional news channels projecting the BJP’s vote share to be anywhere between 15 to 20 per cent this time, a dramatic increase from its 5.75 percent vote share scored in the 2022 civic body polls.
Modi asked the people to see the difference between the “scam-tainted” DMK and Congress and the BJP, which he said is identified only with development.
“I.N.D.I. alliance can never make Tamil Nadu developed. We gave optical fiber, 5G, and Digital India, while they (UPA) gave the country 2G scam in which DMK was the biggest stakeholder. We gave the UDAN scheme, but they have a helicopter scam. We take pride in Khelo India, but their name was tainted in CWG,” the Prime Minister added.
Catering to the Tamil audience, the Prime Minister said the BJP government ensured that the Tamil culture and traditions were protected at any cost by allowing a state-specific amendment that allowed the conduct of jallikattu in 2017, after a long gap.
“Jallikattu is the pride of Tamil Nadu and is an integral part of Tamil culture. As long as Modi is there, he won’t let anyone touch Tamil traditions and culture. Jallikattu will continue to take place in Tamil Nadu. We are not like DMK and Congress which wanted to destroy Tamil culture,” Modi added.
Tearing into the DMK for preventing the screening of the Pran Pratishtha of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, Modi accused the DMK of opposing anything that is connected with India’s culture and traditions. “They even boycotted the event of installing Sengol in the new Parliament building,” Modi added.
He also listed the infrastructure projects that the BJP government has implemented in Tamil Nadu in the past 10 years. Branding the DMK and Congress as “anti-women”, the Prime Minister said the two parties only know how to “misbehave” with women, not treat them with respect.
“Crimes against women have increased in Tamil Nadu. When we brought the reservation bill for women in Parliament, neither Congress nor DMK supported it. DMK and Congress are both anti-women,” Modi added.