PM Modi and M K Stalin.
Credit: PTI Photo
Chennai: With Lok Sabha polls just a few months away, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday made a massive outreach to Tamil Nadu, which has so far cold shouldered the BJP, by lavishing praise on its vibrant culture, terming it a “significant brand ambassador” for ‘Make In India' and asserting that the state received 2.5 times more funds than it got before 2014.
The remarks by Modi on funding came even as Chief Minister M K Stalin told the Prime Minister that seeking more funds to handle the post-flood situation in Chennai and five other districts should not be viewed as a “political slogan” but a genuine demand.
Modi, who had faced massive protests during his visits to the state in the past, received a rousing reception arranged by the Tamil Nadu BJP as he took the road to reach the Bharathidasan University from Tiruchirapalli airport, a distance of 11 km. BJP flags dotted both sides of the road and at the inauguration of the second terminal of the airport, Modi had to signal the audience to stop chanting ‘Modi, Modi’ when Stalin began his speech.
The outreach by the Prime Minister comes as the BJP is trying to make inroads into Tamil Nadu, where the AIADMK snapped ties with it a couple of months ago.
At both events they attended, Modi and Stalin exchanged pleasantries and displayed warmth, but utilized the opportunity to subtly score political points. While Modi devoted a major portion of his speech to punch holes in the criticism that Opposition-ruled states are ignored by the BJP by listing the projects executed by the Union Government in Tamil Nadu, Stalin spoke about social justice and reforming the education system.
The Prime Minister laid the foundation stone, inaugurated and dedicated to the nation 20 projects related to air and seaports, railway, highway, petroleum and natural gas worth Rs 20,000 crores. Modi also remembered actor-politician Vijayakanth, who passed away last week, and agricultural scientist M S Swaminathan in his speech.
Stalin wanted the floods in the state to be declared as a “calamity of severe nature” and allot the required amount of funds for carrying out relief and rehabilitation works.
“Don’t think that we are reiterating our demands. In a country as vast as India, the primary duty of providing education, healthcare, and other basic help to crores of people is vested with the state governments. Coming up with requests for the state and reinforcing states’ rights are genuine demands of the state and not mere political slogans,” Stalin added.
While talking about the floods, Modi said he was deeply moved by the condition of affected families and gave an assurance that the Union government stands with people of Tamil Nadu in this time of crisis. “We are providing every possible support to the state government,” Modi added.
On the funding for states, Modi said in the decade before 2014, states were given Rs 30 lakh crore, while it is Rs 120 lakh crore in the last 10 years. “Tamil Nadu too got 2.5 times more in this period,” the Prime Minister said, adding that over 40 Union ministers toured Tamil Nadu more than 400 times in the past year.