BJP doesn’t learn despite electoral setbacks: Stalin reacts to Tamil Nadu's tussle with Centre over funds

The chief minister also accused the opposition parties in Tamil Nadu of being “envious” of the DMK government because of its performance and said that was the reason that they are spreading “canards” against the dispensation.

Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Thursday accused the BJP of not “learning lessons” despite successive electoral failures in the state by citing the Union Government’s refusal to grant funds to key projects like Phase-II of Chennai Metro.

In his speech at a government event in Dharmapuri, Stalin said the BJP should move beyond “spreading hate” in the society and function as a government for all at least after the party was reduced to 240 seats in the just-concluded Lok Sabha polls.

He also accused the opposition parties in Tamil Nadu of being “envious” of the DMK government because of its performance and said that was the reason that they are spreading “canards” against the dispensation.

“We are working not just for people who voted for us but also for those who didn’t vote for us. But we are not able to witness such magnanimity from others (BJP). The Union Government hasn’t learnt any lessons despite continuous defeats faced by the BJP in Tamil Nadu. They are not releasing funds for projects like Chennai Metro,” he said.

Stalin has been accusing the Union Government of not approving the Phase-II of Chennai Metro and releasing funds for the same. The government has begun work on the project by spending its own funds even as it is urging the Centre to approve the extension of the metro network.

“It looks like the BJP doesn’t want to learn lessons. They never implemented any big projects in Tamil Nadu in the last 10 years. The BJP should move beyond spreading hate and function as a government for all,” he added.

Stalin’s comments come a month after the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance scored a landslide win in Tamil Nadu by winning all 39 seats and the lone seat in Puducherry. The BJP, which stitched its own alliance, and the AIADMK failed to win any seat.