T.N. Assembly election: Stalin hits out at Maharashtra Chief Minister for ‘blackmail’ on Madurai Metro Rail project

DMK president and Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Tuesday strongly condemned his Maharashtra counterpart Devendra Fadnavis for suggesting that the Madurai Metro Rail project would be sanctioned after the BJP candidate Rama Srinivasan was elected from the Madurai South Assembly constituency. Mr. Fadnavis had made the remark on Monday, when he had accompanied Mr. Srinivasan for the filing of the latter’s nomination.

Campaigning for the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance (SPA) in Srikazhi on Tuesday, Mr. Stalin said it was improper for a Chief Minister to suggest that projects would be sanctioned only if a BJP MLA was elected. “Is he the Prime Minister or a Union Minister to make such assurances? Is this how a constitutional authority should speak?” he asked, adding that such remarks amounted to “blackmail”.

Mr. Stalin said his government had taken the lead in flagging concerns over the proposed delimitation of constituencies and alleged that AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami would have “surrendered the State’s rights” if he had been in power.

The Chief Minister pointed out that he had convened an all-party meeting and reached out to leaders across the country to highlight how southern States could lose Parliamentary representation if delimitation was carried out based on population. “It was only because we are in power that we raised these concerns. We invited leaders from various parties and pointed out that southern States would get fewer seats compared to the northern ones. If Mr. Palaniswami had been in power, he would have compromised Tamil Nadu’s interests,” he asserted.

Mr. Stalin said Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had spoken about the issue after Tamil Nadu raised it. “Mr. Palaniswami, who has been taken on lease by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has not answered our questions. If he does not raise his voice on this, what will he speak about?” he asked.

The Chief Minister also alleged that Christian institutions were being threatened through the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) and attempts were being made to impose Hindi. Referring to a media report on the implementation of Central government projects, Mr. Stalin said Tamil Nadu did not figure among the top beneficiary States. “The Union government collects substantial taxes from Tamil Nadu but betrays the State by not sanctioning special projects and budget allocations,” he charged.

Mr. Stalin also criticised infrastructure projects executed by the Union government, citing the recent damage to the national highway stretch between Kollidam, Sirkazhi, and Chidambaram, and alleged that several projects were “crumbling even before inauguration”.

He introduced the SPA candidates from Mayiladuthurai and Nagapattinam districts: Nivedha M. Murugan (DMK) — Poompuhar; Y.N. Jamal Mohamed Younoos (Congress) — Mayiladuthurai; Senthil Selvan (MDMK) — Sirkazhi; M.M. Pugazhendhi (DMK) — Vedaranyam; M.H. Jawahirullah (MMK) — Nagapattinam; and Latha T. (CPI-M) — Kilvelur.

Cuddalore campaign

Campaigning in Cuddalore, Mr. Stalin cautioned voters that if the AIADMK-led NDA came to power in the State the Vidiyal Payanam scheme (free bus travel) benefiting women would be withdrawn as Prime Minister Narendra Modi had previously spoken out against such schemes.

He recalled that Mr. Modi had previously disapproved of free bus travel schemes arguing it would discourage patronage for Metro Rail.

“If the NDA comes to power and Mr. Modi wants the Vidiyal Payanam scheme to be discontinued, would Edappadi K. Palaniswami (AIADMK leader) have the courage to say ‘no’,” he asked the crowd rhetorically.

Mr. Stalin also attacked Mr. Palaniswami claiming that the latter was the full face of betrayal and had opened the backdoor for the entry of the BJP in the State. The AIADMK leader had joined hands with the BJP to “escape from his own mistakes”, he alleged.

“Has Mr. Palaniswami ever, even once, publicly listed his own achievements? The BJP has not implemented a single scheme for Tamil Nadu. The bridge built near Chidambaram on Villupuram-Nagapattinam Highway has sunk, and this reveals the quality of work undertaken by the BJP,” he said. Mr. Stalin said that over last five years, the DMK had corrected the mistakes made by the AIADMK regime during its 10-year tenure.

The State’s growth rate, which had plummeted to 0.07 % during the AIADMK regime, has now touched 11.19 %. The Dravidian Model 2.0 government should return to ensure that Tamil Nadu continues with implementation of schemes in top gear, he said.

Mr. Stalin said the DMK had the capacity to deliver on its promises. “Does Mr. Palaniswami have the guts to act beyond the directions of Prime Minister Narendra Modi?” he asked.

(With inputs from S. Prasad in Cuddalore)