Eyeing AIADMK votes, PM Modi praises MGR, Jayalalithaa in Tamil Nadu rally

Chennai: Tearing into the DMK and Congress, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday heaped lavish praise on AIADMK stalwarts M G Ramachandran and J Jayalalithaa by crediting them for keeping “dynastic politics” away in Tamil Nadu, in an attempt to woo the party’s vote bank in the absence of an alliance.

At the same time, Modi lauded state BJP chief K Annamalai for gaining the “confidence” of the people of Tamil Nadu through the En Mann, En Makkal yatra covering all 234 assembly constituencies in about seven months and reaching the message of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’ in every village in the state.

Addressing a mega rally in Palladam in Tiruppur district to draw curtains on the yatra, Modi sought to punch holes in the DMK’s campaign plank that the BJP-led Union Government wasn’t releasing “enough funds” for the state by asserting that the funds given to Tamil Nadu between 2014 and 2024 was “three times” more than what was granted under UPA-I and UPA-II.

Modi’s speech was laced with his “love” for Tamil language, its culture, and people, and how his association with Tamil Nadu was beyond politics. The Prime Minister, by lauding Annamalai and patting on his back several times on the stage, also sent out a clear signal that the ex-IPS officer has BJP’s full support.

His praise of MGR, whom he called an “incomparable leader”, and Jayalalithaa comes amid a belligerent stand taken by AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami not to reconsider his decision to snap ties with the BJP, which is now stitching an alliance of its own.

Political analysts said Modi’s speech was to reach out to the AIADMK voters at a time the regional party is devoid of a Prime Ministerial face.

Needling the DMK in its bastion, Modi accused the Dravidian party of “doing nothing” for Tamil Nadu even while its MPs held powerful portfolios in the Congress-led UPA government.

“Though the BJP has never been in power in Tamil Nadu, the state has always been close to our heart. The people of Tamil Nadu are aware of this fact and that is why those who looted the state for decades are beginning to fear the BJP’s rising power,” Modi alleged.

Without referring to the AIADMK, Modi spoke in detail about his association with Jayalalithaa, calling her a “people’s leader”, and recalled how MGR always stood against “dynastic politics”, a reference to DMK and Congress.

“I got an opportunity to visit Kandy, the birthplace of MGR, and today I have come to his ‘karam bhoomi’. It is because of his focus on education and health that women and the poor still revere him. He was against dynastic politics and what the DMK has done to this state today is an insult to MGR,” Modi said.

Referring to Jayalalithaa as Amma, Modi said she was the only leader who dedicated her life to people’s cause after MGR and that’s the reason she is still respected by Tamils. “I have had a long association with Jayalalithaa,” he said.

Modi praising Jayalalithaa is also in contrast with Annamalai’s opinion about her, his comments that the former Chief Minister was convicted for corruption was one of the reasons for the AIADMK to snap ties with the BJP. In his recent interview with DH, Annamalai said he doesn't feel sorry for his comments on Jayalalithaa as he "merely stated the fact."

Modi also said the INDIA bloc has failed but the parties are trying to work it out with the hope of “looting here.” “We are going to put an end to their plans here. Tamil people are waiting to put an end to their corrupt politics,” Modi added.