War of words erupts over Amit Shah calling Tamil Nadu ‘corrupt’

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah’s Monday comment that Tamil Nadu is one of the most corrupt states in the country created an uproar on Tuesday.

Opposition Congress and Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) welcomed the BJP for speaking the truth, despite its bonhomie with the AIADMK.

Congress leader and former Union minister EVKS Elangovan questioned why the Centre was silent. “If Amit Shah means what he speaks, then the Centre should immediately dissolve the corrupt AIADMK government... Shah should also explain the case against his son,” EVKS said.

Echoing Elangovan, Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president Su Thirunavukarasar insisted that the BJP should not ally with a “corrupt” AIADMK for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

BJP chief Amit Shah, while addressing party workers in Chennai on Monday, said: “Tamil Nadu is one of the leading states in the country when it comes to a higher level of corruption. The public should come forward to fight corruption and they should stay away from cash-for-votes.”

AIADMK minister D Jayakumar had a different version. “Amit Shah termed Tamil Nadu as a corrupt state referring to the cash-for-votes culture and the statement has nothing to do with the AIADMK government... BJP national secretary H Raja, who translated Amit Shah’s speech, changed words and the meaning of what the BJP president conveyed,” Jayakumar said.

BJP state secretary Karu Nagarajan said, “Elangovan should clarify on the court cases faced by (senior Congress leader) P Chidambaram and his family. Amit Shah and Modiji want a corruption-free country but the corrupt Congress is unable to digest that...”