The moment the BJP and the AIADMK declared their alliance for the Assembly election, it was a given that the DMK-led alliance would emerge victorious, senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram said in Karaikudi on Tuesday.
Addressing party workers, he said the country’s democratic sheen had been taken off with the BJP at the helm. There was no freedom of speech in Parliament. People who were critical of the government were ill-treated and jailed, Mr. Chidambaram added.
The Centre’s ₹6,000 financial assistance scheme had not reached eligible farmers, Mr. Chidambaram said. Only the 100-day MGNREGS, launched by the UPA government, had helped the poor.
About 13 crore people had lost jobs due to the pandemic. There seems to be no tangible steps taken by the Centre, he added.
The Congress leader welcomed MNM president Kamal Haasan’s remark that the need of the hour was not ‘Vel’ yatra by the BJP in Tamil Nadu, but “ Velai ” (jobs) yatra.
Migrating in search of jobs was not a good sign. This only reflected the poor governance of those ruling the nation. A Central Minister recently stated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would not listen to anyone. “This is wrong and not a good attitude,” he said.
According to him, the Kerala model of electing a new set of leaders to rule the State every five years was good. The people would benefit considerably. Many industries had come up, and jobs were guaranteed there.
‘An alternative’
On these lines, Tamil Nadu should also switch to an alternative and the time was ripe for the DMK alliance, he said.
On the farmers’ protest, Mr. Chidambaram said the farmers did not seek any amendments to the farm legislation. The government, instead of listening to the grievances, was dictating to the stakeholders. The democratic fabric of the nation had taken a severe beating under the BJP rule, he said.
