CM Stalin dares PM Modi to spell out projects he has brought to Tamil Nadu

Pollachi: Chief Minister M K Stalin on Wednesday challenged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to list out the special projects that the union government has given to the state, on his next visit to Tamil Nadu.

This was a response to the PM's allegations on his last visit that the state government scuttled central schemes. Modi should also specify the central projects that were stalled by the DMK government in Tamil Nadu, Stalin said.

In his address during a government event, Stalin alleged that while the prime minister has advertised in newspapers and television channels about 'Modi's Guarantee', he has actually done nothing for the people. He also questioned what happened to Modi's 'old guarantees' of depositing Rs 15 lakh in every citizen's bank account and creating two crore jobs a year.

The government function marked the distribution of welfare assistance to beneficiaries, laying of the foundation stone for new projects and inauguration of new schemes. The prime minister is set to visit Tamil Nadu once again in the coming days.

"The people of Tamil Nadu must ask him about the special schemes he has brought to the state. Everyone must ask the prime minister to provide an answer. Will you all ask him?" Stalin asked, addressing the people gathered at the event.

Prime Minister Modi has alleged that the DMK regime scuttled central government projects, which is "nothing but a lie; it is Modi's lie," he said.

He asked, "What project did he bring ? Which project did we prevent? Will he spell out for which project we have been a hurdle?"

The chief minister said he would give just one example to disprove the prime minister's allegations. The AIIMS project for Tamil Nadu was announced in the union budget of 2015-16, but its construction in Madurai has begun only recently. Posing a rhetorical question, Stalin asked who stopped the project from being fulfilled -- was it J Jayalalithaa, O Panneerselvam or Edappadi K Palaniswami who were chief ministers during the previous AIADMK regime (2011-2021)?

"No, they did not prevent the scheme," he continued. "Also, neither did the DMK, which assumed power in May 2021, nor did the people scuttle the AIIMS project. Nobody prevented you (from fulfilling it)," Stalin said, directing his comment at the prime minister.

Stalin wondered aloud if people were so credulous as to believe Modi who is "lying for the sake of the Lok Sabha polls".

"Lies and WhatsApp stories are the heartbeat of the BJP," Stalin mocked, adding that people "would not buy such lies".

Blaming the AIADMK for "ruining" the state, and the BJP for not "paying attention" to the state, the chief minister said the people see the "illicit alliance" between the two parties. He sought the people's support to trounce the "fascist" parties.

Announcing new schemes and development projects for the districts of Coimbatore, Erode, Tiruppur and Nilgiris, Stalin claimed that the DMK government works for the welfare of all sections of people.

"For 10 years, AIADMK ruled Tamil Nadu. Can they list out such schemes that they implemented?" he asked.

Mocking the AIADMK for claiming that the western region of the state remained their bastion, he wanted to know if the opposition party had done any good for the people of the region.

Stalin hit out at the previous AIADMK dispensation for the infamous Pollachi sexual assault case which was investigated by the CBI and is now pending in court. He also brought up the Kodanadu heist and murder case.

Referring to the police firing during the 2018 protests against the now defunct Sterlite plant in Thoothukudi, he said the AIADMK-BJP alliance "prevented" the police from filing a chargesheet in the Gutkha scam. The same parties were now "enacting a drama" as if they have severed ties, he remarked.

"On the one side, there is the secretive alliance between the AIADMK and the BJP, which is against the welfare of Tamil Nadu and the Tamil people. On the other hand, the people of Tamil Nadu, the democratic forces and DMK stand united to protect the rights of Tamils and to make Tamil Nadu prosperous," Stalin said.

He claimed that when the DMK regime has been able give the people so many welfare and development schemes despite non-cooperation from the Centre, his government would have had "10 times more" achievements had there been a union government that supported the state government. The time is approaching to usher in a government at the Centre that would stand shoulder-to-shoulder with states, he asserted.