Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin lashed out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi questioning his "moral right" to talk about corruption. Speaking at a wedding event on Sunday, August 27, the Chief Minister asked, “I want to look at Modi and ask whether he has the moral right to speak about corruption as a Prime Minister? Your deception has been revealed by the CAG [Comptroller and Auditor General of India] report with ample proof. I have made notes of it all. These are statistics and I must not make a mistake. We speak only with proof. I am asking what moral right does the BJP [Bharatiya Janata Party] have to speak about corruption.”
In the Monsoon session of the Parliament that took place earlier in August, the CAG presented 12 reports detailing corruption and financing in various government ministries and schemes. The opposition parties including the Congress, Aam Aadmi Party and Trinamool Congress had earlier questioned the silence of the Prime Minister over the CAG report. One of the findings of the CAG was that the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) erroneously collected Rs 132 crore due to non-implementation of the revised fee. This was discovered after five toll booths were randomly surveyed. Another finding was that the cost of constructing the Dwarka Expressway in the Delhi Gurugram border went up from Rs 18 crore per km to Rs 250 crore per km.
Stalin also said, “For nine years the BJP has been in power under the leadership of Modi. In these nine years can they show anything to say ‘This is what we’ve accomplished since coming to power. We have introduced such and such schemes. We have helped the people’? They cannot. Before the elections, what did they say? They said that they will bring back all the black money from abroad and give 15 lakh rupees to each citizen. I’ve asked at many rallies—not just me, many others too—15 lakh? Have they given even 15,000 rupees? No, not until now.”
He also added, “They said that they would create job opportunities for the 2 crore of the country’s youth every year. Has the Union government given any such jobs? No. Jobs have only been taken away from people. This is the state of the government. There is something even worse. India has a cruel government that is using religion to cause communal violence in different parts of the country. The INDIA alliance was founded so that we can all come together to talk about these issues, find a solution, defeat the [BJP] regime and teach them a good lesson in the next election.”
Speaking further about Modi, the CM said, “Modi is angry because the alliance in Tamil Nadu is also a reason for the INDIA alliance to come together. That is why wherever he goes, whether it is Independence Day celebrations or government functions in other states or when he goes abroad he speaks demeaningly of us. Particularly about the DMK in Tamil Nadu. What does he say? That there is corruption in Tamil Nadu. He’s been saying that he will end corruption for nine years. I want to ask, does Modi have the moral right to speak about corruption?”