Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Mar 19: Sticking to his attack on the opposition over “Shakti,” the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday saying the Opposition alliance displayed its “ill-intention” by declaring to destroy it.
Addressing a BJP rally in Salem in Tamil Nadu, Mr Modi said the Opposition alliance, of which the Congress and the DMK are key constituents, repeatedly insults Hinduism but never targets any other faith. He said INDIA bloc allies Congress and DMK have the propensity to insult the Hindu religion.
“INDI alliance deliberately insult Hindu Dharma and every statement against Hindu Dharma is well thought of. Congress-DMK INDI alliance never speak against other religions. But they do not take a second to insult Hindu Dharma,” he said.
He said the DMK, Congress and the INDIA bloc say they would destroy Shakti. “Mariamman yahan ki Shakti hai. In Tamil Nadu Kanchi Kamakshi is ‘Shakti’, Madurai Meenakshi is “Shakti’…Congress, DMK and INDI alliance says they will destroy this (Shakti),” he added. In Hinduism, Shakti means women power, mother’s power, but the INDIA bloc allies say they will destroy it, Modi said.
PM Modi said Tamil Nadu has made up its mind to vote for the BJP.
“DMK and Congress are two sides of the same coin. DMK and Congress means- Big corruption and one family rule. When the country got rid of Congress, the country reached 5G technology. But in Tamil Nadu DMK is running its own 5G- one family’s fifth generation to have control over Tamil Nadu,” he said.
Trying to be a bit cosy with its erstwhile alliance partner the AIADMK, Mr Modi claimed the DMK insulted late former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa. “You all are witness to the kind of behaviour INDI alliance does with women. When former state CM J. Jayalalithaa was alive you all know how DMK leaders behaved with her. This is DMK’s real face,” he added.
The Prime Minister also said his government had worked hard to ensure development in Tamil Nadu. “Our government is leaving no stone unturned to ensure the development and prosperity of Tamil Nadu. From free medical treatment to providing tap water connections in homes, from free ration facilities to benefiting women of Tamil Nadu through MUDRA Yojana, we have ensured to give the best, to serve the best,” PM Modi said.
PM Modi was also felicitated during his public meeting in Salem, Tamil Nadu.
During the 2019 general elections, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam-led Secular Progressive Alliance, which comprised INC, VCK, MDMK, CPI, CPI(M), IUML, MMK, KMDK, TVK, AIFB, registered a landslide victory by winning 38 of the 39 seats.
In 2019, the DMK won 23 Lok Sabha seats with 33.2 per cent vote share, Congress bagged 8 seats with 12.9 per cent vote and CPI won 2 seats in Tamil Nadu. CPI(M) got a seat, IML won 1 seat and independents were elected on 2 seats.
The Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK), a political party that mostly represents the Vanniyar minority in Tamil Nadu, was the second main alliance partner of the BJP in the Lok Sabha election 2019, which contested on seven alliance seats. With a vote percentage of 5.42 per cent, it was unable to secure even one seat in the polls.
The PMK had a slight increase in vote share to 5.42 per cent over seven seats in 2014, up from 4.4 per cent for eight seats. Anbumani Ramadoss is currently a Rajya Sabha member having being elected unopposed in 2019.
After several twists and turns, the PMK has finally decided to go with the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) for the Lok Sabha elections. Before it finally made its call, the PMK had vacillated between party founder S Ramadoss, who preferred the AIADMK, and son Anbumani Ramadoss, who leaned towards the BJP. The AIADMK ended its alliance with the BJP some months ago.
Sources said the stumbling block for the AIADMK was the PMK’s demand for 7 seats (out of the state’s 39), seen as unrealistic. The PMK base is largely confined to the OBC Vanniyar community, concentrated in northern Tamil Nadu.
The BJP, whose footprint in Tamil Nadu remains small, reportedly clinched the deal offering the PMK 10 seats. Top PMK sources claimed they have also extracted a promise of a Cabinet post from the BJP, reportedly for Anbumani, who used to be Union health minister under the UPA, if he wins, most likely from the Dharmapuri constituency.
The combined offer ultimately overrode the objections of PMK cadres, many of whom were initially in favour of sticking to the AIADMK, given the uncertainty over the BJP’s prospects in Tamil Nadu. On Tuesday, both Ramadoss and Anbumani, who is the PMK president, shared the stage with Mr Modi at the Salem meeting.
Incidentally, Anbumani has a long-pending corruption case against him, being investigated by the CBI, with the PMK leader accused of “illegally” allowing an Indore-based medical college to continue making admissions, despite the Medical Council of India and a committee appointed by the Supreme Court recommending against it.