Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent utterances on dynasty politics and the need for Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in the country is a mere reflection of his “fears” after Opposition parties displayed a show of unity in Patna, DMK President and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin said on Thursday.
Stalin also accused Modi of trying to win the 2024 Lok Sabha elections by creating “confusion among the people” through stoking communal passions, while claiming that the electorate has decided to send the BJP home next year. He also criticised the BJP government’s handling of Manipur violence, seeking to know why the prime minister remains mum on the sensitive issue.
In his speech at a wedding ceremony here, the DMK chief took objection to Modi accusing the party of practicing dynastic politics during a BJP meeting in Bhopal. “The Prime Minister says only Karunanidhi family will prosper if one votes for the DMK. Yes, he doesn’t understand that Tamil Nadu is Karunanidhi’s family. It is Tamils who are Karunanidhi’s family measures,” Stalin added.
Going into detail on how Annadurai and Karunanidhi nurtured the DMK and converted the party into “one family”, the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister said it is a pity that the country’s Prime Minister is ignorant of history.
“Modi has developed fear now. Opposition parties met in Patna on June 23 to chart the next course of action in taking on the BJP. We have successfully completed the first step. So, the Prime Minister talking about dynastic politics is a reflection of the fear that he has developed after the meeting,” he said.
Stalin also wanted to know why Modi has not bothered to visit Manipur where violence has far claimed the lives of over 150 people. “Manipur is burning for the past one month. Over 150 people have died and thousands have fled the state fearing violence. He hasn’t bothered to visit the state and even the Union Home Minister bothered to call an all-party meeting only after a month,” he said.
It is at this juncture, Stalin said, the Prime Minister has called for implementation of Uniform Civil Code in the country.
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“He says there shouldn’t be two types of laws in a country… So, their intention is only to spoil law and order by communalising incidents. He believes he can win by whipping communal passions. But I say with confidence that people have decided to send BJP home next elections,” Stalin added.
Stalin has been pushing the Opposition parties to come together to take on the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. In March, he had pitched for Congress as fulcrum of Opposition alliance, while dismissing talks of a Third Front as “pointless.”
The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister was also categorical that an anti-BJP front without the Congress was not a “workable option” and said Opposition parties in the country should take a leaf out of the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance, an amalgamation of several political parties, which has won all elections held in Tamil Nadu after 2019.
“Opposition parties should be united. At the same time, we should reject the talks about non-Congress alliance. It will not work out. Post-electoral alliance is also not practical. Talks of Third Front are pointless. It (Third Front) will never reach the shore,” Stalin had said.