Kick-starting the party's campaign for the 2021 Assembly election, DMK President M K Stalin, on Sunday, launched an all-round attack against the AIADMK government, accusing it of “lying like a cat on the BJP's feet” and “surrendering” the state's rights to the Centre.
In a 20-minute speech at the 'Let's Reclaim Tamil Nadu' conference, organised by Erode district via video conferencing, Stalin tore into Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami for allowing the BJP-led Centre to “impose Hindi”, usurp state's rights on Goods and Services Tax (GST) and “keeping mum” on the New Education Policy (NEP) and issues related to environment.
There was a time when “Delhi was scared of Tamil Nadu” and its leaders, Stalin said, recalling former prime minister H D Deve Gowda's statement that though Delhi was the capital of India, Tamil Nadu was the capital in “claiming rights” from the Centre.
“Tamil Nadu was known for its magnificence and there was a time when those administering the country from Delhi were scared of leaders from our state. Because they fought for their rights. Today, Palaniswami has surrendered all our rights and has fallen on the BJP's feet like a cat just to be in power,” Stalin alleged.
The DMK will hold a series of online conferences in several districts this month as part of its campaign for the Assembly elections due in the first half of 2021. Stalin has been making optimum use of technology to keep in touch with party cadre by talking to them regularly via video calls.
“There is an urgent need to reclaim the rights of Tamil Nadu that have been surrendered. Tamil Nadu is the land that showed the way for India on why states should have more autonomy and Centre should be ruled by a coalition of parties. Tamil Nadu is the land that sowed the seeds of social justice and remains its capital,” the DMK president added.
He also targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi for praising Palaniswami and the Tamil Nadu government for their efforts in containing Covid-19, saying Modi must be living in a foreign nation to have lauded a government that claimed that it will ensure not even one person gets infected with the Coronavirus in the state.
“The state, today, has over 7 lakh cases and has recorded over 11,000 deaths. Who is responsible? Why is the prime minister praising a state that has failed to control the Covid-19 spread? Only the prime minister and the BJP will praise AIADMK. No one else will,” he said.