SALEM: Taking a swipe at the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Minister M K Stalin on Sunday said issues like Ram temple alone won’t get the saffron party votes in the state. Tamil Nadu has not preferred BJP in the past elections and the same would be the case in this year’s Lok Sabha polls too, Stalin said in his address at the second state-level conference of the DMK Youth Wing held in Salem.
“What these people think is that it is enough to recite Thirukkural, celebrate Pongal, and build a temple in Ayodhya to get votes from TN. They have not understood us yet,” the CM said.
Stalin said Modi has been trying to abolish states’ rights ever since he became the PM. “The BJP government enacts laws even on matters that are under the state list,” he said.
“There is no consultation with states on any legislation. The new education policy, NEET, and GST have completely taken away the education and financial powers of the states. They have turned states into ATMs that give money to the Union government.
After the recent natural calamity, we sought `37,000 crore. The PM came, he said he would give it; the finance minister came, she said she would give it; then defence minister came, and assured the same. But till now not a single penny has come,” the CM said.
“Being in power at the centre, what are they doing? Breaking up parties, pulling MLAs, and trying to run governments through governors,” the CM said.
‘Fighting for BJP-ruled states too’
The BJP does not need anyone else to destroy it, governors are enough. They will get the job done. The government that will be established by INDIA bloc will not be a single-party government. It will not be a dictatorial government. It will be a federal government, he said.
“Federalism at the centre and autonomy for states’ is the slogan taught to us by our leader M Karunanidhi. That slogan will become the slogan of INDIA after our victory. The coalition government of ‘INDIA’ will focus on trying to create a better Constitution that will ensure states’ rights. We are not striving for the rights of state government only for Tamil Nadu or other opposition-ruled states, we are fighting for the rights of states ruled by the BJP too,” he said.
DMK was formed to promote the ideals of social justice, equality, self-respect, brotherhood, states’ rights, language, nationalism, women’s rights, welfare of oppressed, and everything for all. We stand for the prosperity of Tamil Nadu. We are the fountainheads of TN’s prosperity. But that’s now in danger. The fascist BJP is planning to destroy our language, Tamil culture, the value of the state, and our identity,” he said.
The BJP and AIADMK are harmful to Tamil Nadu. The main duty of the DMK is to prevent them from destroying the state. The AIADMK is playing a game on its alliance with BJP. “Even AIADMK cadres are not ready to believe this drama,” Stalin said.