Minister for Youth Welfare and Sports Development Udhayanidhi Stalin on Sunday alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party government at the Centre was thinking it can “control” the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) government in Tamil Nadu through the Governor.
The Centre was using its agencies such as the Income Tax, CBI and the Enforcement Directorate to scare and frighten the Opposition parties, especially during election time, he claimed at a function organised near Pudukottai by pro-jallikattu outfits to thank Chief Minister M.K. Stalin for his efforts in getting the clearance from the Supreme Court for conducting jallikattu.
Taking a dig at the Centre, he charged that since coming to power in 2014, the BJP-led Union government had used the Enforcement Directorate to question 121 political leaders out of which 115 belonged to the Opposition parties.
Leaders of the Aam Aadmi Party, Indian National Congress, Rashtriya Janata Dal and Bharat Rashtra Samiti had been questioned, he said, and referred to the recent arrest of DMK Minister V. Senthilbalaji by the Enforcement Directorate.
“How many ever Modis and Amit Shahs may come but they cannot do anything in Tamil Nadu. The fascist BJP cannot shake us, if we remain united”, Mr. Udhayanidhi Stalin said, adding the united struggle conducted a few years ago for jallikattu had sent out this message.
The DMK groomed by Periyar, the late Chief Ministers Annadurai and M. Karunanidhi will never be scared of Modi, he said. The BJP was under the impression that by installing the “Sengol” in the new Parliament it could get the votes in Tamil Nadu. People of Tamil Nadu would not allow the BJP in the State, he said.
Taking a dig at Tamil Nadu Governor R.N. Ravi, he claimed the former was under the impression that he was elected by the people. Dubbing the Governor a “rubber stamp” of the Centre, he claimed Mr Ravi should understand that and should sign in the files sent by the Chief Minister.
Ministers K.N. Nehru, Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi, S. Regupathy, Siva V. Meyyanathan, K.R. Periyakaruppan, S.S. Sivasankar, Anitha Radhakrishnan and P. Moorthy participated.
