MADURAI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday launched a flurry of attacks on the ruling DMK in Tamil Nadu, accusing the party of corruption, administrative failure and stalling key infrastructure projects.
Addressing a massive gathering of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in Madurai, Modi alleged that the DMK has done nothing since coming to power in 2021 but loot the public. “DMK ministers are competing with each other for involvement in scams, such as Rs 365 crore in transfer bribery, Rs 4,700 crore in sand mining, and Rs 40,000 crore in Tasmac irregularities,” he alleged. He cited Congress veteran K Kamaraj as an example of honesty in politics.
Taking a swipe at the Congress, he said that Tamil Nadu was the first state to liberate itself from the national party’s rule. “Out of vengeance, the Congress gave away Katchatheevu, and the DMK in the state did nothing to stop it,” he claimed.
NDA-led state govt will ensure action against criminals, drug mafia, says PM
“Similarly, when Congress was at the centre, DMK supported the ban on jallikattu, but the NDA government facilitated an amendment and saved the traditional sport, and also installed the Sengol in the new Parliament complex, further honouring Tamil culture,” he added. Regarding the state’s infrastructure, the PM alleged that while the previous Congress-DMK union governments had neglected projects, the BJP government had modernised the Pamban Bridge and increased railway allocation to the state from Rs 880 crore (2009-2014) during Congress reign to Rs 7,600 crore. Drawing a contrast between the centre’s performance and the state’s alleged failures, Modi claimed that the union government has sanctioned over 6 lakh houses for the poor under the PM Awas Yojana while the DMK administration has stalled completion of 3 lakh homes by neglecting conduct of field surveys.
Modi further accused the DMK of fostering “mafia-type politics” in Madurai, pointing to poor drainage system, infrastructure, waste management failures, and a sharp drop in the city’s cleanliness ranking, all of which, he claimed, led to the city’s mayor stepping down.Expressing concern over the state of law and order in Tamil Nadu, he said, “Women are in constant fear over the increasing number of crimes and the drug mafia is destroying families. Women remember how safe they felt during (late CM) Jayalalithaa’s rule,” he claimed, promising that an NDA-led state government will ensure strict action against criminals and the drug mafia.
Making a veiled reference to Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin’s remarks, Modi said, “I heard someone from DMK say that they do not fear me or my Bharat. Let me say this clearly, in our democracy nobody needs to fear anything. When someone says they don’t fear me that means they appreciate my commitment to democratic values. Unknowingly, they have given me a badge of honour.”
Modi also blamed the DMK for the death of devotee Poorna Chandran, who he claimed ended his life demanding the lighting of the Karthigai Deepam atop the contested ‘deepathoon’ at the Thiruparankundram temple. Modi said he met Chandran’s wife Indumathi as well as their sons and his offered condolences. Later, in a post on X, the PM claimed, “This tragedy was caused by the insensitivity of the DMK government, and no matter what they do, the truth will triumph. Devotees of Lord Murugan will win.”
“The people of Tamil Nadu have decided that the NDA will bring about change,” Modi declared, concluding his address by urging support for the alliance to ensure a developed TN and India. During his address, AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami also slammed the DMK government for stalling development works and listed out the infrastructure projects carried out by the AIADMK. “The coming Assembly election is for removing the anti-people governance of DMK,” he said, crediting Modi for sanctioning major projects to the state and dismissing the DMK’s allegations that the centre was neglecting TN.