PUDUCHERRY: Launching a sharp attack on the BJP and its allies, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK president M K Stalin on Monday alleged that AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami in TN and CM N Rangasamy in Puducherry are functioning as “slaves” of the saffron party and they are in no position to provide a governance as per the aspirations of people.
Addressing an election rally at the Puducherry Regulated Market Ground in support of DMK-led alliance candidates, Stalin said advancing the election schedule in the Union Territory (UT) would not alter public sentiment. He asserted that people in both TN and Puducherry favoured the “Dravidian model” of governance and opposed what he described as “remote-controlled rule from Delhi”.
Accusing the BJP of eroding democratic values, Stalin alleged that Puducherry was losing its traditional identity under the current AINRC-BJP government. The BJP has no intention of granting statehood to Puducherry except treating it like a panchayat. It’s thinking of making states like TN into a municipality, he alleged. Accusing the BJP of making Rangasamy a puppet CM, Stalin asked, “If that is the situation for him, how will they (BJP) let him serve the interests of common man?”
He said the BJP is thinking about when and how to overthrow Rangasamy and establish its own rule in Puducherry. Stalin appealed to the people to make the crucial decision, by electing a government that works for people and not a government that executes Delhi’s orders. “The NR Congress and BJP coalition government has destroyed mother tongue education by introducing CBSE system in primary schools. The NDA is an alliance against Tamils,” Stalin said.
Rejecting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s claim that Puducherry has benefited from “double-engine” government, he instead alleged that the UT is plagued by rampant corruption and law-and-order issues.
Calling for change in the April 9 elections, Stalin urged voters to support the DMK alliance, promising to implement welfare and development initiatives similar to those in TN. He assured that his party would work towards securing statehood to Puducherry.