THANJAVUR: Refuting recent negative remarks made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi regarding women’s safety in the state and dismissing his claims as false propaganda, Chief Minister M K Stalin on Monday said that the safest state for women in India has been Tamil Nadu.
“This (Tamil Nadu) is the state in which highest number of women are working (in industries),” said Stalin, who was speaking at the DMK’s women wing’s Vellum Tamil Pengal Maanadu of delta zone at Sengipatti in Thanjavur district.
Accusing AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami of forming the alliance (with the BJP) to safeguard himself from legal cases (by central agencies), Stalin said that every one knows the BJP-AIADMK alliance “is a blackmail alliance” formed through threats and “thrust upon by Union Home Minister Amit Shah”, against the wishes of real AIADMK cadre. “All those in that (NDA) alliance were in some way trapped by the BJP through ED, I-T or CBI and were expecting ‘that washing machine’ would free them (from charges),” Stalin added.
“The coming election is not NDA versus Secular Progressive Alliance. Don’t forget, it is a contest between NDA and TN,” he said, exuding confidence that the people of TN have decided to make the Secular Progressive Alliance victorious once again.
Dismissing the PM’s claims at an NDA rally in Mathuranthakam a few days ago, Stalin quoted a recent report by a consulting firm on the survey of Top Cities for Women in India, which has placed seven cities of TN (for women security, health, and education) in top 25 (safest cities) among the 125 cities in the country. The cities include Chennai, Coimbatore, and Tiruchy.
He also said campaign meetings will take place from February 1 to March 8 (International Women’s Day). “We will also hold public meetings until February 28, and a massive state conference with 10 lakh people will be held in Tiruchy on March 8.”
On Modi’s double-engine government pitch, Stalin pointed out the unrest in Manipur, which was ruled by a BJP government (before the President’s Rule). “As per government data, 260 people have been killed in Manipur so far. The real number would be much more,” Stalin said, adding that 3,000 people were injured and more than one lakh people had migrated out of the state. “Normal life has been affected in Manipur for the last three years. The state was ruled by the BJP, which has been ruling at the centre,” Stalin said.
DMK deputy general secretary Kanimozhi Karunanidhi, MP, in her address, said the women of Tamil Nadu cannot be hoodwinked. Taking a veiled dig at Palaniswami, she said, “Anybody could claim that they will give Rs 10,000, Rs 8,000 and Rs 2,000 by changing the name (of existing scheme) as Kulavilakku scheme. They know these schemes will not come to their home, and only the Kalaignar Mahalir Urimai Thogai will reach their doors.”
More than 1.25 lakh DMK women’s wing cadre from delta districts participated.