Questioning Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not speaking against the Hathras gang rape case in Uttar Pradesh and the Pollachi sexual abuse case, DMK president M.K. Stalin said here on Wednesday that the BJP was not competent to criticise the DMK.
Mr. Modi had, at an election meeting in Dharapuram on Tuesday, accused the DMK and the Congress of insulting women.
Addressing voters at Madathukulam in Tiruppur district, the DMK leader accused Mr. Modi of speaking lowly, forgetting that he was the Prime Minister of the country.
“Just because he stooped to the level of a fourth-rate speaker, I do not have to. I am the son of Kalaignar (former Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi). I will always speak with respect,” Mr. Stalin said.
Even though Mr. Modi praised the Kongu region for its spirit of enterprise, his government’s schemes, namely the 2016 demonetisation and Goods and Services Tax (GST), adversely impacted all the micro, small and medium enterprises in the region, Mr. Stalin alleged.
The BJP formed an alliance with the AIADMK after “clipping the wings” of the latter, using institutions such as the CBI, the Income Tax Department and the Election Commission of India, he said. The BJP would not win any seat in the State in the Assembly election, similar to its performance in the 2019 Lok Sabha election, he said.
Mr. Stalin sought votes for the DMK front’s candidates of Madathukulam, Udumalpet and Valparai (Reserved) Assembly constituencies, namely R. Jayaramakrishnan (DMK), K. Thennarasu (Congress) and M. Arumugam (CPI) respectively.
Earlier at a meeting in Bodinayakkanur, Mr. Stalin reiterated that the AIADMK had pledged the self-respect of the people of Tamil Nadu to secure its alliance with the BJP, and his party would end this unfortunate situation.
“The AIADMK is welcome to glorify the BJP, but not at the cost of the self-respect of the people. The DMK will ensure that the State gets its due share in growth and development,” he said.
He was canvassing votes for DMK candidates Thanga Tamil Selvan (Bodi), Cumbum Ramakrishnan (Cumbum), K.S. Saravana Kumar (Periakulam) and A. Maharajan (Andipatti).
Mr. Stalin said the AIADMK won one Lok Sabha seat (Theni) in 2019, and the MP’s letter pad featured the photograph of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Even if one of the AIADMK candidates won, he would become a puppet of the BJP, which was out to create a rift among the people on caste and communal lines.
The DMK president said that when electioneering started a fortnight ago, the DMK was hopeful of winning in 200 constituencies; but after he toured all over the State, he was sure the party would win in all the 234 constituencies.
Mr. Stalin said AIADMK coordinator O. Panneerselvam had served as the Chief Minister, the Deputy Chief Minister and Minister. However, he did nothing to promote the welfare of people of the district from where he was elected to the Assembly.
Knowing well that the AIADMK would not return to power, Mr. Panneerselvam “cleverly” proposed Edappadi K. Palaniswami as the AIADMK’s chief ministerial candidate, he said.
Instead of inviting the farmers who had been protesting in New Delhi against the farm laws and assuring them that their interests would be guarded, Mr. Modi had left them in the lurch, he said.
