Centre not implementing projects in T.N. due to animosity towards State, says Stalin

Chief Minister M. K. Stalin campaigns in Madurai on Sunday.
| Photo Credit:
G. MOORTHY

The BJP-led Central government announced AIIMS for Madurai in 2015, and the foundation was laid in 2019. However, till now the project remains only on paper, said Chief Minister and DMK president M.K. Stalin at Thirumangalam here on Sunday.

Addressing an election campaign meeting, Mr. Stalin said since then the 2021 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections and the 2024 Parliamentary elections were held and now it was the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections. The very same BJP-led Central government, which laid the foundation for AIIMS in Bilaspur in Himachal Pradesh in 2017, inaugurated it in 2022.

However, in contrast to this, the DMK government in Tamil Nadu established the Kalaignar Centenary Library in Madurai and Kalaignar Centenary Super Speciality Hospital in Chennai within one-and-half-years after the foundation was laid. This was the Dravidian model of governance.

Why was it that the Central government could not function with the same speed and efficiency. It was because they harboured animosity towards Tamil Nadu and its people. This was why they continue to refuse to release the Keeladi archaeological excavation report, he said.

Similarly, the Metro Rail Projects for Madurai and Coimbatore were rejected. However, it was established in places where there were BJP-led governments such as Agra in Uttar Pradesh, Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh and Patna in Bihar.

The NDA puts forward the Aryan model of governance, a model which was against religious harmony and divided the people. This is a model which wanted to turn Madurai into Manipur. However, the people of Madurai were united and maintain peace. The NDA wants to disrupt this, Mr. Stalin said.

Highlighting the projects that were implemented in Madurai under the DMK regime, he said the Kalaignar Centenary Library had turned into a knowledge hub and several aspirants who used the facilities at the library cleared the civil services examinations.

The Kalaignar Centenary Eruthazhuvuthal Arangam was inaugurated to conduct traditional jallikattu in a grand manner. Similarly, several infrastructure facilities were implemented in Madurai such as the world-class hockey stadium and the renovated Vandiyur Park.

He said Madurai was Tamil Nadu’s cultural capital and known for its hospitality.

He introduced the DMK candidates and the alliance party candidates and appealed to the people to vote for the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance

DMK candidates P. Moorthy (Madurai East), Palanivel Thiaga Rajan (Madurai Central), G. Thalapathi (Madurai North), Sedapatti M. Manimaran (Thirumangalam), A. Venkatesan (Sholavandan), R. Balaji (Madurai West), Kiruthiga Thangapandi (Thirupparankundram), MDMK candidate M. Boominathan (Madurai South) and Congress candidates T. Saravana Kumar (Usilampatti) and P. Viswanathan (Melur) were present on the stage.

Later, Mr. Stalin conducted an election campaign from TVS Nagar flyover to Villapuram via Jaihindpuram.