Modi helped only corporates, let down economy: Stalin

‘T.N. people have responsibility of sending both govt.s packing’

DMK president M.K. Stalin in Sivaganga on Friday. L. Balachandar L_Balachandar

Launching a blistering attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and a Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami, DMK leader M.K. Stalin on Friday said the people of Tamil Nadu had the huge responsibility of packing off the Central and State governments.

Alleging that Mr. Modi did nothing in the last five years to lift the economy, he charged that Mr. Modi only helped corporate companies. When farmers demanded farm loan waiver, Mr. Modi went out of the way to waive the loans of corporate companies, he said.

Mr. Modi, who had promised to develop Indian economy, provide two crore jobs every year, deposit ₹ 15 lakh in everyone’s bank account after bringing back black money stashed in foreign countries and double farmers’ income, became a huge failure. The Modi government had been intolerant to dissent and those who expressed dissent were branded as anti-nationals, Mr. Stalin said.

Mr. Stalin said BJP Rajya Sabha member Subramanian Swamy himself had said Mr. Modi and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley did not know economics. Mr. Swamy had also written in

The Hindu in November, 2018, saying the economy was facing an adverse situation, the DMK leader said. The much-hyped ‘Make in India’ programme and the hurriedly introduced GST regime were failures, he said, quoting Mr. Swamy.

Campaigning for Congress’ Sivaganga Parliamentary constituency candidate Karti P. Chidambaram and DMK’s Manamadurai Assembly by-poll candidate Karu Kasilingam alias Ilakkiyadasan, Mr. Stalin said time had come to drive out the two governments.

Accusing Mr. Modi of acting in an autocratic style and promoting crony capitalism, and Mr. Palaniswami of being ‘worthless’, Mr. Stalin said the people of Tamil Nadu had the huge responsibility of sending the two governments packing. “People of Sivaganga, the land of ‘

Maanam kaatha ’ Maruthu brothers, should show the way to others,” he said.

He also hit out at Mr. Palaniswami for claiming that law and order was well maintained in the State. Instead of taking action against those involved in the Pollachi sexual abuse case, the police tried to protect them. A seven-year-old girl was sexually abused and murdered in Coimbatore and this was the law and order situation, he said.