Rename BJP as Corporate Janata Party: Stalin

Coming down heavily on the Narendra Modi government for “waiving off loans of corporate giants” without even being asked, DMK president M K Stalin on Friday said it would be wise to rename the BJP as the Corporate Janata Party (CJP).

Addressing a public meeting in Sivaganga, Stalin asked the voters to reject BJP nominee in the Lok Sabha, H Raja, for not just belonging to the saffron party but for demeaning the Dravidian movement and its stalwarts E V R Periyar and C N Annadurai. Raja had advocated the breaking of Periyar’s statues in Tamil Nadu after a bust of Lenin was brought down in Tripura following the defeat of the Left Front government in the Northeast state.

Karti, son of former Union finance minister P Chidambaram, is the Congress candidate from Sivaganga. Stalin also asked people not to look at Karti from the prism of his father Chidambaram, seeking to junk the BJP’s campaign that the grand old party nominee has no other qualification than being the son of a senior leader.

“Narendra Modi was elected as prime minister of the country, but he behaves as if he is the prime minister only for industrialists. He waives-off loans of several people but the only condition is they should be from the corporate world. It is no more the BJP, it is the CJP. The BJP should be renamed as Corporate Janata Party,” Stalin said while addressing the public meeting.

He also tore into economic policies of the BJP government, saying they only brought miseries to people rather than bringing prosperity to their lives. On Raja, he asked people to question him about the Rafale deal when the BJP nominee comes to them seeking votes.

“Also ask Health Minister C Vijayabhaskar, who has vowed to ensure Raja’s victory from Sivaganga, about the multi-crore gutkha scam. A minister who never took a vow to improve medical services in Tamil Nadu has made a pledge to ensure the victory of a person who is well immersed in divisive politics. Isn’t he ashamed?” Stalin asked.