Hitting back at AIADMK supremo Jayalalithaa, BJP Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi today charged the ruling party and its arch-rival DMK with showing no concern about the people and concentrating efforts to settle political scores whenever they were in power.
"Tamil Nadu was divided between AIADMK and DMK and people had no choice beyond them. They waste their time to finish off each other. When AIADMK is in power, it targets DMK and vice-versa. They are not worried about the welfare of the people," he charged at an election rally here.
His sharp attack on AIADMK came hours after Jayalalithaa surprised the saffron party with her first ever barb in her campaign, painting the BJP and Congress with the same brush on the issue of inter-state Cauvery water sharing.
The offensive came amid speculations in the state that Jayalalithaa, who has a good personal rapport with Modi, would be the natural ally of the NDA in the post election scenario and the persistent attack by Congress that AIADMK was the "B Team" of BJP.
Jayalalithaa's soft approach towards the BJP by not talking about it in her electioneering has attracted strong criticism by her political opponents including Congress leader P Chidambaram, who had described AIADMK as the B-Team of BJP.
However, slamming Congress, DMK and BJP for their "betrayal" of the state on the vexed river water dispute, Jayalalithaa today asked the electorate to give a firm drubbing to the candidates of all three parties, saying they should lose deposit. Making a strong pitch for the NDA's six-party alliance in the state, Modi claimed it had emerged as the third alternative to the two major Dravidian parties and also a force to reckon with in the April 24 Lok Sabha polls.
"This alliance comprising DMDK and MDMK among others will bring in a new hope and confidence to the people of Tamil Nadu," he said promising to deliver on various issues concerning the state such as attacks on fishermen.
With Tamils living all over the world, including in Malayasia, Sri Lanka and Fiji, it should be a priority of the union government to take care of their well being, he said and promised to do so if a BJP-led Government assumes power after the elections.
He said a strong and determined government was the need of the hour as small countries like Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Bangladesh were poking the country and they have to be met eye-on-eye and dealt with strongly.
Playing the emotive issue of recurring attacks on fishermen, he charged that the UPA Government lacked the courage to protect the fishermen of Tamil Nadu and Gujarat who were were being "harassed" by Sri Lanka and Pakistan.
"People from Italy come kill our fishermen and go back," he said apparent reference to the shooting to death of two Keralite fishermen by Italian marines.
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