SALEM: Launching a broadside against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for his ‘Shakti’ remark, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said parties that want to destroy ‘Shakti’ will get destroyed.
Addressing a public meeting at Gajalnaikenpatti, Modi said, “In Tamil Nadu, Shakti means divine manifestation in the form of woman deities – Kanchi Kamakshi, Madurai Meenakshi and Samayapuram Mariamman. In Hindu faith, Shakti means, “matru shakti, naari shakti” (woman power). The INDIA bloc of Congress and DMK say they will destroy this.”
Stating that every mother and daughter was a form of ‘Shakti’, Modi said he would sacrifice his life for their security. “Those who want to end Sakthi will get destroyed and Tamil Nadu will do it first on April 19,” he said.
“People know well how the DMK leaders behaved with former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa when she was alive. “This is DMK’s real face. They oppose the women’s reservation bill. Because of this, crimes against women in Tamil Nadu are rising,” Modi said.
Further, Modi accused the INDIA bloc of deliberately disrespecting Hindu dharma and failing to uphold Hindu beliefs, contrasting their treatment of Hinduism with other religions. Constituents of INDIA bloc will not speak ill about any other faith except Hindus, he said.
The prime minister used the platform to underscore his government’s initiatives benefiting women, citing the Ujjwala scheme providing free internet connections and medical facilities, and the Jal Jeevan scheme ensuring access to clean drinking water. He pledged to introduce more women empowerment schemes in the coming years, further solidifying the BJP’s commitment to gender equality and upliftment.
While referring to BJP functionary Auditor V Ramesh, who was killed in 2013, Modi turned emotional and paused his speech for a few seconds.
Apart from Union Minister L Murugan and BJP state president K Annamalai, leaders of alliance parties including former CM O Panneerselvam, AMMK general secretary TTV Dhinakaran, PMK founder S Ramadoss, PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss, TMC president GK Vasan, were present.
Mobile phone mistakenly falls into PM convoy
During PM Narendra Modi’s road-show in Coimbatore on Monday, a BJP cadre accidentally threw his mobile phone while showering flowers on the van in which the PM was travelling. The video of the incident has been doing the rounds on social media. Sources said an SPG officer who was on security picked up the phone and returned it to its owner. A similar incident was also reported on February 27 at Palladam in Tirupur district where Modi participated in a public meeting. It may be noted that police had given instructions to avoid holding phones on hand during the event.