In his first visit as BJP Minister in-charge of Tamil Nadu, Union Power Minister Piyush Goyal trained his guns on the AIADMK government on Thursday, charging it with rank corruption. He asserted that his party wants to undo the 48-year misrule in the State.
“Tamil Nadu cannot progress with this kind of corruption. It cannot progress when people are encouraged to drink liquor,” he said, addressing a BJP meeting in Chembarambakkam to celebrate the 125th birth anniversary of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar.
In a reference to the hero-centric politics of Tamil Nadu, Mr. Goyal said the State needed leaders who were accessible. “We cannot have a system where only one person rules and every body else is a slave. We want to ensure people are equally empowered where all of us could reach to the leader and talk, where all of us can come to all these leaders and demand our rights,” he said, constantly urging the audience to treat the BJP as an alternative force.
“But even god helps only those who help themselves. If we sit quiet in our homes, life won’t change. We have to fight the battles to end bad governance and to end the rule which does not give equal opportunities to our brothers and sisters,” he asserted.
However, Mr. Goyal did not spare the DMK either, stating that no one wanted the dominance of a single family. It is the people who should rule, he said.
2G scam
Referring to the 2G spectrum scandal “in which one of Tamil Nadu’s leaders was involved,” and the Coal scam which riddled the UPA government, Mr. Goyal said the money lost in the Coal block allocation has been brought back by the Centre led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Speaking to reporters later, Mr. Goyal, replying to a question on allegations of the State government preferring private players for buying power, said the Centre wanted the States to ensure they bought the cheapest power possible.
On accusations that the BJP had a tacit understanding with the AIADMK while outwardly criticising it, Mr. Goyal dismissed such claims and said his party wanted to provide a corruption-free government in Tamil Nadu.
Poor organising skills
Leaders who spoke at the BJP event in Chembarambakkam on Thursday positioned the outfit as an alternative to the Dravidian parties in the State. But the manner in which the celebration of the 125th birth anniversary of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar was organised left much to be desired.
To begin with, the celebration was touted as an interaction between Piyush Goyal, with the locals of Chembarambakkam village. But enquiries revealed that many of them had no knowledge about the visit of the Union Power Minister till Wednesday evening.
So much so that a sizeable chunk of the crowd were party members elsewhere in Chennai, including women from places like Avadi. Adding to the woes was the fact that the Minister, who was scheduled to arrive at 10 am, reached the venue a little after 11.15 am.
During his speech, Mr. Goyal said from May onwards, BJP offices across Tamil Nadu would be kept open for the public every Saturday to register their grievances so that it reaches the Centre. Action, wherever possible, would be initiated to solve their issues.
