Lok Sabha polls: Stalin, Rahul share stage in Coimbatore rally; tear into BJP over bonds, language 'imposition'

Chennai: Sharing the dais with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, DMK President and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Friday alleged that the BJP “took to Gujarat” a semiconductor unit that was to come up in this industrial city by “threatening” a “big firm” despite it almost finalizing an agreement with the state government here.

Making a final push in Coimbatore, where the DMK is locked in an intense battle with the AIADMK and BJP, Stalin and Rahul launched a frontal attack on the BJP on issues like electoral bonds, imposing “one language” on the country, and criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi for seeking votes by not talking about his achievements, but “criticizing” the I.N.D.I.A. bloc.

Rahul, who heaped praise on Stalin and called him his “elder brother”, mocked Modi for proclaiming that he likes “dosa and vada” while in Tamil Nadu, and talks about ‘One Country, One Language’ immediately after he lands in New Delhi. “Why should there be a single language? Why shouldn’t Tamil, Bengali, Kannada, and Manipuri get their due in India. You eat whatever you want, but don’t take away the cultural identities of people,” Rahul told Modi.

While DMK has fielded Ganapathi P Rajkumar, the AIADMK’s candidate is Singai G Ramachandran and BJP’s nominee is its state unit chief K Annamalai. Rahul and Stalin’s campaign for Lok Sabha polls came days after Modi campaigned for NDA candidates in Chennai, Vellore, and Mettupalayam.

In his speech, Stalin said he would like to utilize the stage in Coimbatore to make a “starting revelation” and went onto allege that a Tamil Nadu-based firm had approached the state government to invest Rs 6,500 crore in the city and both sides completed their talks. “Suddenly, they (the Union Government) threatened the firm and took the investment to Gujarat. This is BJP’s fake love for Coimbatore. It is the BJP that took away a big investment in the semiconductor sector to Gujarat from Coimbatore,” he added.

Terming the Congress manifesto as the “hero”, Stalin praised Rahul for giving promises that bring hope to “state governments and people” and accused Modi of seeking votes only by criticizing the Opposition bloc and targeting them on “dynastic politics.”

“Shouldn’t the Prime Minister be ashamed of talking about corruption? Who legalized corruption by introducing electoral bonds? Other parties received donations through bonds only because you introduced the scheme,” Stalin said, and alleged that ED, IT, and CBI are being used as “weapons” against opposition leaders.

“How can a person who cleanses people accused of corruption by inducting them into the BJP through its washing machine talk about corruption?” Stalin asked.

Rahul, while explaining Congress manifesto, accused Modi and industrialist Gautam Adani of creating two Indias – one of billionaires and another of poor people.

“We are going to wipe out poverty from India forever. 21 Indians have the same amount of money that 70 crore Indian people have. The Prime Minister is not ready to forego loans taken by farmers despite 30 Indian farmers killing themselves every day. But he can give 16 lakh crores to the richest Indian by foregoing their loans,” Rahul alleged.

The Congress leader said the party, if voted to power, will carry out a national caste census and an economic and asset survey to assess the actual living conditions of the people and gave an assurance that states will be allowed to decide whether they need entrance tests or not.