Chief Minister MK Stalin, on Monday, March 4, called Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s frequent visits to Tamil Nadu “an attempt to garner votes”. The CM, after inaugurating the Mayiladuthurai collectorate, also said that the Prime Minister was ‘exploiting’ the state for political gains ahead of the Lok Sabha elections by his “appearances were merely for political mileage.”
“People of Tamil Nadu will not be swayed by political rhetoric. Instead, they will continue to support a government dedicated to their welfare and development,” said Stalin. He also took a jibe at the Prime Minister for not even sanctioning ‘a single penny’ to Tamil Nadu after the Chennai floods in 2023. “Has he provided funds to TN before making these visits,” he asked.
CM Stalin’s comments come at a time when the Prime Minister made a second visit to Tamil Nadu within a span of one week. On March 4, he addressed a massive gathering of people at the YMCA Ground in Chennai. During his speech, PM Modi criticised the MK Stalin-led DMK government in the state over several issues.
Speaking at the rally, PM Modi said that the DMK government in Tamil Nadu failed miserably in flood management when the state faced a crisis in December 2023. He said that the DMK government, however, managed to make it appear that "everything was fine". He said that the people suffered immensely in the floods, but the state government did not do anything to help them.
PM Modi also said that both the DMK and the Congress are family-centric parties. PM Modi stated that he had left home at the age of 16 to serve the nation, and to do social service, adding his family was the people of the country. The Prime Minister said that he felt energised every time he came here, saying "Chennai is a hub of talent".
The PM also said that the DMK and Congress were not able to digest the popularity and growth of the BJP in Tamil Nadu. PM Modi's rally here is being considered the beginning of the BJP's election campaign in Tamil Nadu. PM Modi reached YMCA Ground after witnessing the start of the process of core-loading the indigenous prototype fast breeder reactor (PFBR) at the Madras Atomic Power Station in Kalpakkam. The project has been developed by Bharatiya Nabhikiya Vidyut Nigam Ltd (BHAVINI).
Earlier, on February 27, he attended the closing ceremony of BJP Tamil Nadu president K Annamalai’s ‘En Mann, En Makkal’ (my land, my people) padayatra in Palladam near Tiruppur.
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