Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Sunday alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s attempt to use the women’s quota as a political weapon against Opposition parties during ongoing polls has “boomeranged” on him.
Stalin was seeking votes for DMK alliance candidates — Uthangarai Congress candidate R Kuppusamy, Bargur DMK candidate D Mathiazhagan, Krishnagiri Congress candidate Dr A Chellakumar, Veppanahalli DMK candidate P S Srinivasan, Hosur DMK candidate S A Sathya and Thalli CPI candidate T Ramachandran.
Addressing an election rally, CM Stalin flayed Modi for targeting the Opposition during his televised address to the nation on April 18 on the women’s reservation issue.
Hence, it would be apt to describe that address as “BJP leader Modi’s political speech rather than saying that it was the prime minister’s address,” CM Stalin alleged.
Despite the tricolour forming the backdrop to the address and with the Model Code of Conduct in force due to the polls, Modi chose to use the platform to attack Opposition parties, he said.
CM Stalin, also the DMK president said, “What must have been spoken in an election rally has been spoken by the prime minister in an official government address, and this is a blatant violation of rules.”
He further said Modi had been speaking in such a manner as he was tense following what he described as the government’s first defeat in Parliament on the constitutional amendment Bill.
“PM Modi thought that the DMK would not focus its attention on the delimitation matter if the Bill was brought in Parliament amidst polls. The outcome was, however, just the opposite. The people of the southern states are on the boil, and a huge defeat has been confirmed for his (NDA) alliance,” CM Stalin said.
He alleged that, in an attempt at “damage control”, Modi was trying to “unfairly target” the Opposition by claiming that they had scuttled the women’s reservation.
“Even this has not worked. The weapon that he tried to aim at us (Opposition parties including the DMK) during polls has boomeranged on him,” CM Stalin claimed.
Furthermore, CM Stalin said, “PM Modi, it is too late. The National Democratic Alliance’s chapter was closed on April 17 (when the Bill was defeated in the Lok Sabha). We have made the NDA bite the dust in Parliament, where it has a majority. When that is the fact, imagine what will happen in Tamil Nadu to the BJP, where it does not have even a toehold.”
He added, “The BJP has already started communal riots in Thanjavur and Madurai. It is a destructive force. Once it enters TN, the Hindi language will be imposed, communal riots will increase and the state will face the same fare as other BJP-rules states. On the other hand, the DMK is protecting TN. This election is a war between Tamil Nadu and the NDA. The DMK alliance will win over 200 seats”.
He pointed out that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has also been campaigning across Tamil Nadu for the victory of the Secular Progressive Alliance.
Mallikarjun Kharge, president of the Indian National Congress, also took part in the campaign with Stalin.
During his speech, he said, “Tamil Nadu is the land of Periyar, Anna and Kalaignar, who taught India the meaning of dignity, rational thought and equality. Today, in the DMK-Congress alliance, those ideals are not just remembered, but are being actively followed. The people of TN have always stood for secularism, pluralism, and social justice.”
The Congress-DMK alliance and other opposition parties stood united and defeated the BJP’s delimitation Bill in a historic victory, Kharge said. “However, the Modi-led centre is trying to portray the delimitation Bill as Women’s Reservation Bill and claiming that the opposition parties are against women’s welfare. The Bill was brought in 2023, but after waiting for 30 months Modi now acting as if they care about women. We are the ones who are actually protecting women’s welfare, democracy and social justice.”
(With inputs from PTI, Express News Service)
