Chennai: Giving a push to the BJP’s campaign in Tamil Nadu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday tore into the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), accusing it of “misusing” funds allotted by the Union Government and “looting” over Rs 4,600 crore through illegal sand mining after coming to power in 2021.
Addressing public meetings in Vellore and Mettupalayam in northern and western parts of the state, Modi trained his guns on the DMK and its ally, Congress, on corruption and "ceding" Katchatheevu to Sri Lanka without consulting anyone. Modi’s public meetings come a day after he held a 1.5-km long road show in Chennai’s business district of T Nagar as his party, BJP, makes a concerted effort to make inroads into Tamil Nadu.
“DMK has earned the first copyright on corruption. It has been badly looting the state of Tamil Nadu. It was revealed that sand smugglers have caused a loss of Rs 4,600 crore to the state in just 2 years. You can imagine how big a game of loot is going on here,” the prime minister said.
Raking up the international drug cartel in which sacked DMK NRI wing functionary Zafar Sadiq is an accused, Modi accused the ruling party in Tamil Nadu of “failing to protect” children of the state by allowing sale of drugs.
“I am sure all of you are aware which family is shielding these drug mafias in Tamil Nadu. The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has arrested individuals who were in touch with this family. People will send out a strong message on April 19,” Modi said.
He accused the DMK of focusing on the politics of 'hate' and 'division' and having never cared for the development of Tamil Nadu. “The game of 'discrimination and division' that Congress plays in the country is played by DMK in Tamil Nadu. The initiatives of the Central government don't reach the intended beneficiaries in Tamil Nadu,” Modi added.
On the Katchatheevu issue, the prime minister accused both the Congress and DMK of keeping the people of Tamil Nadu in the dark by “callously giving away” the uninhabited island to Sri Lanka.
“They meted out injustice to our fishermen. The NDA government has been continuously getting our fishermen released and getting them back home,” he added.
Published 10 April 2024, 15:40 IST