Tamil Nadu CM M K Stalin.
Credit: PTI File Photo
Chennai: Linking the recent raids by Central agencies on relatives of AIADMK leaders with the revival of the party’s ties with the BJP, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Saturday alleged that people are aware that the alliance between the two parties was not just flawed but “cemented by corruption.”
In a two-page statement, Stalin lambasted Union Home Minister Amit Shah for his comments that the DMK dispensation was steeped in corruption and on the law and order situation in Tamil Nadu by reminding that the leader of his ally, Jayalalithaa, was convicted in a corruption case and over 250 people were killed in ethnic violence in Manipur, a BJP-ruled state.
Terming the new alliance as a “flawed coalition” which has been propped up once again by Shah, Stalin said the people of Tamil Nadu will never accept the AIADMK-BJP alliance and give them a chance to govern the state.
Contending that the BJP’s agenda was to impose Hindi by erasing Tamil, implement schemes to hinder the progress of Tamils, and strip Tamil Nadu of its rights through delimitation, Stalin alleged that the BJP was trying to use AIADMK as a puppet to execute its conspiracies.
“Whether the BJP contests alone or with allies, Tamil Nadu’s people are ready to teach them a lesson. They will deliver a fitting response to those who undermine Tamil Nadu’s self-respect and attempt to subjugate the state,” he said.
Harping onto Shah’s statement that the NDA would form a Common Minimum Programme if needed, Stalin sought to know whether the imposition of Hindi, NEET exam, three-language policy, and the Citizenship Amendment Act – all of which are opposed by the AIADMK – was part of the CMP.
“He didn’t even allow AIADMK leaders to speak at the press conference. Instead, he used the briefing solely to criticize the DMK and the government, We stand firm in protecting state rights, language rights, and Tamil culture, whereas the BJP-AIADMK alliance is opposed to such principles,” Stalin said.
“Nobody will forget that Edappadi K Palaniswami pawned Tamil Nadu’s self-respect and rights to cling to power for four-and-a-half years, nearly ruining the state,” the Chief Minister added. He also accused the Home Minister of not answering questions on NEET and remaining silent on probe by CBI into irregularities in the exam in five states.
On Shah’s criticism of the law and order situation in Tamil Nadu, Stalin said the Union Home Minister should remember that the state he was talking about was Tamil Nadu, not Manipur. “In a BJP-ruled state, over 250 people were killed in a single year. Unable to address the unrest in that state, he visits a peaceful state like Tamil Nadu to stir trouble,” he added.
Stalin alleged that Central investigative agencies have been conducting raids on the families of AIADMK leaders over the past two decades and that it was clear that they sought the help of the BJP, which demanded an alliance. “People of Tamil Nadu know that the BJP-AIADMK alliance is cemented by corruption. After two raids, AIADMK has been pawned, and now they aim to mortgage Tamil Nadu,” he said.