VELLORE: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday expressed confidence that the BJP will return to power at the centre by winning 300 seats in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls and called for Tamil Nadu to send 25 candidates from the NDA to parliament.
Addressing a public meeting at Vellore, the BJP strategist said some among them could find a place in the NDA government’s cabinet. Shah’s speech focused on appealing to Tamil sentiment, touting PM Modi’s love for the language and targeting DMK and Congress on dynastic politics.
Significantly, amid reports of intra-party tensions, Shah publicly expressed his confidence in the leadership of state BJP chief K Annamalai. According to party sources, earlier in the day while addressing state BJP functionaries in Chennai, Shah had also pitched for a Tamil prime minister in the future. Sources said he’d accused the DMK of spoiling the chances of two Tamils to become PM and had exhorted functionaries to work towards electing a chief minister for TN and a PM for the country from humble backgrounds.
In the evening at the public meeting held to highlight achievements of the BJP-led NDA government over the past nine years, Shah said the time had come for TN to toss out the Congress and DMK and give power to a “son of the soil”.
Shah termed the two opposition parties as “2G, 3G, 4G” parties. “I am not talking about the 2G (spectrum allocation scam). 2G means two generations, 3G means three generations and 4G means four generations,” he said, referring to the Congress and DMK.
“Maran family (of DMK) has been doing corruption for two generations. The Karunanidhi family has been doing corruption for three generations. The Gandhi family is 4G. Rahul Gandhi is fourth generation. For four generations they have enjoyed power,” he said.
I have complete faith in the way Annamalai has organised TN BJP, says home minister Amit Shah
Responding to TN CM MK Stalin’s demand that Shah list out the centre’s special schemes for the state in the past nine years, Shah outlined various initiatives of union government. Taking on Stalin over his remarks on AIIMS Madurai, Shah said while the DMK was in power for 18 years at the Centre, it took no steps to bring the premier medical facility to TN “but only did corruption”.
Among the centre’s initiatives for TN, Shah mentioned a manifold increase in devolution of funds, allocation of defence corridor, 62 lakh toilets and over 2,500km of roads. He accused the DMK and Congress of indulging in corruption running to several thousands of crores of rupees during the UPA rule at the centre from 2004 to 2014 and claimed there were no such allegations against the NDA government.
Highlighting Modi’s efforts to promote the Tamil language, Shah said, “Modi Ji makes it a point to mention the greatness of Tamil literature, Tamil saints and scholars and culture with immense pride in whichever country he visits.” He charged that when DMK, as part of the UPA, was in power at the centre, Tamil candidates did not get an opportunity to write selection exams for CAPFs, civil service and NEE T in the i r mothe r tongue.
“During the Modi government, we have ensured that these exams can be conducted in Tamil language also. When the Chinese president visited India, Modi ensured he visited TN in a bid to promote tourism here,” he claimed. He hailed the installation of the ‘Sengol’ (sceptre) by Modi in the new Parliament building. Shah lashed out at Congress and DMK for opposing the abrogation of Article 370 and lauded Modi for “uniting Kashmir” with India with a stroke of the pen.
On the state leadership of the party, Shah said, “I have complete faith in the way Annamalai has organised TN BJP and I can say with conviction that in more than 25 seats TN will elect NDA MPs and there will be a number of ministers in the cabinet from this state.”
Meanwhile, a power cut outside the airport when Shah arrived in Chennai, gave room for state BJP chief K Annamalai to take a jibe at the DMK. At the Vellore meeting, he said, “You may switch off the lights but not t h e BJP workers ’ enthusiasm.”
(With inputs from S Kumaresan @ Chennai)