Shah sings language tune, vows to take Tamil pan India
BJP president Amit Shah seen with state unit leaders in Chennai
Chennai:
Addressing a meeting of Shakthi Kendrikas (party’s election workers) at Injambakkam in the outskirts of the city, he said it was a false campaign and said it was the BJP government which took steps to print Tamil on railway tickets.
The BJP president said, “No party can match the BJP in upholding Tamil pride. The party considers the language of each state as the BJP’s pride and when BJP comes to power it will take Tamil pride to all the states in India.”
Insisting that his party was strongly opposed to the culture of ‘notes for votes,’ which has become a popular practice in the state, Shah said the BJP drove away corruption from the Union government as well as many states and the party workers should take a pledge to do the same in Tamil Nadu.
“I regret for Tamil Nadu which is the most corrupt state in the country. We will bring corruption free government in the state at all levels including Assembly, district and taluk. You should take a vow to fight corruption. Our party men were murdered in the state and you should also fight against this conspiracy.”
“Narendra Modi government will come back to power in 2019 and you should take a vow to bring back his government,” he said. Commenting on the protests against his visit, he quoted a couplet from Tirukkural and said those who welcomed guests would find a place in heaven.
Asserting that Modi’s government gives importance to Tamil Nadu’s development, he listed the schemes for Tamil Nadu and asked the party workers to take them to the people. “What was not done in 70 years was done by the BJP in four years,” he said.
For the state, in the last four years, the BJP spent Rs 332 crore for micro irrigation, Rs 2,875 crore for Chennai Metro and Rs 3,267 crore for mono rail. The BJP allotted Rs 20,000 crore to lay lines for a distance of 3,200 km. It sanctioned Rs 1,750 crore for drought and Rs 260 crore as Cyclone Vardah relief, besides giving Rs 820 crores for smart city project and Rs 1,500 crore for setting up AIIMS at Madurai. He said Rs 3,300 crore was spent for laying highways and Rs 2,800 was sanctioned for the Enaiyam port project, he said. A total of Rs 5,10,000 crore was spent for Tamil Nadu, Amit Shah said.
“The opposition parties were in power at the Centre last time. Can they say what they have done for Tamil Nadu during their regime? They have a duty to do so. Will you ask them to account for the performance then, he asked the crowd.
The Union government gave Rs 2,400 crore for farmers of Tamil Nadu as crop insurance, provided health cards to 17 lakh families, 90 lakh free gas connections for women, deposited Rs 90 lakh for 19 lakh people, he noted.
Saffron party can’t widen base in TN: CPI
Senior CPI leader D Raja on Monday claimed that BJP president Amit Shah’s visit to Tamil Nadu would not have any impact as the southern state will never accept “Hindutva politics.”
“His (Shah’s) visit is not going to have any impact and Tamil Nadu will never accept Hindutva politics. The BJP is spending huge money for this, but considering political, social and cultural history of the state it cannot have foothold here,” he told reporters here.
Shah is in the city on Monday on a one-day visit during which he is set to energise the grassroots level functionaries ahead of next year’s Lok Sabha polls and meet a cross-section of leaders. Referring to the Centre’s proposal for simultaneous elections to Lok Sabha and state assemblies, the CPI leader alleged that the BJP was trying to divert the nation’s attention by talking about the “impractical” measure. “Instead of talking about electoral reforms, the BJP is trying to divert issue on to simultaneous elections. That is not practical. The country has various diverse political situations. How can they impose such an initiative,” he asked.