BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi on Thursday criticised Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for insisting on holding talks with his Pakistan counterpart Nawaz Sharif despite continuing terror attacks from across the border. Addressing delegates at the Youth Conference of TN’s BJP here, Modi said people wonder “whether we are so weak that neighbours can do what they want and we should keep our eyes shut.”
“Our soldiers, innocent people have been killed. Terror strikes continue. Is this is the time for our PM to hold talks with Pakistan?” he asked the audience in his typical interactive style. The gathering responded with a loud ‘No’.
Modi also drew thunderous applause from the crowd by quoting verses of Tamil poets Subramanya Bharathi and Ramalingam Pillai besides highlighting the common features between the people of both States. He described Tamils as “hardworking and loyal”.
“You have a mini Gujarat in Sowcarpet in Chennai and we have a mini-Tamil Nadu in Maninagar in Gujarat. Maninagar is my Assembly constituency and Tamils have elected me with a thumping majority”, Modi said amid cheers.
“The people of Tamil Nadu and Gujarat have mingled with each other like sugar and milk for years,” he said.
Observing that Tamil Nadu and Gujarat share many common features, he said both states played leading roles in the freedom struggle.
“If Gandhiji came from Gujarat, Rajaji came from Tamil Nadu. When Gandhiji started Dandi March, a similar march from Tiruchy was started for making salt,” he added. As Tamils came to Gujarat to make it the Manchester of India, Saurashtrians (those from Gujarat), contributed to the growth of Tamil Nadu, he recalled.
He went on to glorify the people of Tamil Nadu by saying that “for Tamil Nadu people, their work place is their place of worship. Tamil is one of the oldest and living ancient languages. I am inclined to learn about Sangam literature... Due to hard work and dedication, TN is now one of the most advanced States... Only a Tamil could invent the e-mail. In top software companies, there are many masterminds from Tamil Nadu.”
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