BJP’s drama will not work in Tamil Nadu even in 100 elections, says CM Stalin

Salem DMK president M.K. Stalin criticizes BJP's tactics in Tamil Nadu, highlighting corruption, law and order issues.

DMK president and Chief Minister M.K. Stalin said on Saturday that the drama by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would not work in Tamil Nadu even if it faced 100 elections. He spoke at a public meeting held at Pethanaickenpalayam and canvassed for Salem DMK candidate T.M. Selvaganapathy and Kallakurichi DMK candidate D. Malaiyarasan.

Mr. Stalin said that a few days ago, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in Salem that the DMK had lost its sleep owing to the support shown by the people of Tamil Nadu for the BJP. But the people had lost their sleep owing to 10 years of BJP rule at the Centre. The BJP had also lost its sleep, with its corruption exposed through electoral bonds, as intelligence agencies reported to the Union government that the issue would impact the BJP’s prospects in north Indian States too. Because of this, the BJP government arrested Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren through the Enforcement Directorate and issued notice to the Congress and the Communist Party of India (CPI) through the Income Tax Department. The people are angry with the BJP’s dictatorial actions and so many BJP leaders, including Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, were not contesting in the election, Mr. Stalin said.

Referring to the BJP in Tamil Nadu, Mr. Stalin said that owing to the unavailability of candidates, the BJP nominated a Governor and a sitting MLA. Through such actions, the BJP wanted to secure its deposits and poll more votes than the NOTA. “The Prime Minister is praising former Chief Ministers M.G. Ramachandran and Jayalalithaa. In the past, he did not praise Jayalalithaa and had claimed that AIADMK rule was the most corrupt in the country,” he recalled.

“Why did the Prime Minister not visit Tamil Nadu during floods and provide a single rupee for relief? The drama of the BJP will not work even in the next 100 elections in Tamil Nadu. Until the DMK is here, the BJP’s tactics will not work,” he said.

Showing the list of the history-sheeters in the BJP in the State, the Chief Minister said 261 rowdies, involved in 1,977 cases, are in the party. “With all the rowdies in the BJP, how could they speak about law and order? If this list is not true, the BJP can file a case against me,” he said. “We have expelled a person from the DMK immediately after charges of drug trafficking were made against him. The data released in Parliament show that the drug menace is high in BJP-ruled States. Seven BJP-ruled States are among the top 10 States in drug seizure, and 14 BJP functionaries are in prison in a drug-related case in Tamil Nadu,” he said.

Referring to AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami’s interview to The Hindu, the Chief Minister said that while The Hindu asked him why he was not speaking against the BJP and the Prime Minister, he was only speaking about the DMK. Listing the achievements of the DMK government and the party’s promises in the election manifesto, Mr. Stalin said data showed that in the three years of the Dravidian Model government, 77.78 lakh new job opportunities were created in the private sector. “Can the BJP or the AIADMK list their achievements,” he asked.

Accusing the PMK, which speaks about social justice, of having surrendered to the BJP, Mr. Stalin said, “I spoke about this at the Dharmapuri meeting on Friday. Replying to my charges, PMK founder S. Ramadoss has said the PMK is a strong party and will pressure the BJP to conduct a caste census. In the last three elections, the PMK has been in the BJP-led alliance. Why has it not mounted pressure for conducting a caste census? The PMK supported the three farm Bills and the Citizenship (Amendment) Act,” he said.