NEW DELHI: Campaigning in Tamil Nadu, Union home minister Amit Shah on Saturday cornered the DMK and the Congress over ‘dynasty politics’ while pitching NDA leaders as people from humble beginnings as opposed to those who come from ‘political families’.
Seeking votes for the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidates, Shah said its top leaders, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Tamil Nadu chief minister K Palaniswami, had grown from humble beginnings while those in the Dravida Munnetra Kazgham (DMK) and Congress are from “dynasty.”
Addressing a rally in Tirunelveli, Shah alleged that the DMK president M K Stalin was worried about making his son Udhayanidhi the chief minister of the state.
“Stalin sir’s anger and blood pressure go up whenever I make a mention of Udhayanidhi and he ends up saying something about someone,” Shah said.
Addressing reporters in Chennai before the rally, Shah had said that only the AIADMK-BJP alliance can protect Tamil Nadu’s fishermen, unemployed youth, women and all those having faith in Tamil Nadu’s culture.
Single-phase polling to 234 assembly seats in the state is scheduled for April 6.
Congress’ 4G & DMK’s 3G
Keeping up his attack of family and dynasty politics against the two, Shah said Congress was “4G” and DMK “3G”, referring to the generation of leaders from the respective first families in politics.
While the leaders of NDA, Modi and Palaniswami, started from humble beginnings, “on the other side is the DMK and Congress.”
“Congress’ fourth generation is running–4g– Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi (all late leaders) and now Rahul Gandhi,” he said.
“The DMK party–its 3g party–third-generation– M Karunanidhi, after him Stalin and now Stalin is risking the entire future of Tamil Nadu by trying hard to make Udhayanidhi chief minister,” Shah said.
The Maran family, Karunanidhi family and Gandhi family “are a dynasty, family parties whereas BJP and AIADMK are parties that elevate grassroots workers to the posts of PM and CM,” he added.
“People of Tamil Nadu should decide to go with whom– with those who care for them or those who want their son to become chief minister,” he said.
‘Making remarks about deceased not Tamil culture’
Taking exception to some alleged controversial remarks made by Udhayanidhi against late BJP leaders Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley, Shah said “probably Stalin forgot” the Tamil culture of not making such statements against deceased people.
He charged the DMK leaders in the past with making such remarks against the “great son of Tamil Nadu,” late chief minister and Congress stalwart K Kamaraj, credited with ushering in educational reforms in the state.
Taking on DMK leader A Raja, without naming him, Shah said “breaking all traditions, they made such remarks against the demised mother of chief minister Palaniswami. DMK should be ashamed of all of these.”
Raja had earlier courted controversy for making alleged disparaging remarks against Palaniswami’s mother during an election rally, drawing criticism.
Taking note of a complaint from the ruling AIADMK, the Election Commission had on Thursday barred Raja from campaigning for 48 hours and also removed him from his party’s list of star campaigners for the April 6 Assembly polls.
On Jallikattu
On the bull-taming sport jallikattu, Shah said the Modi government had earlier allowed its resumption following a ban and expressed fears that Congress and DMK may stop if they are voted to power.
Recalling the state Congress’ 2016 poll manifesto that batted for ending the sport, Shah said “prince Rahul decided to ban it.”
“Only AIADMK, BJP and PMK can ensure the all-round development of Tamil Nadu, not the corrupt DMK and Congress,” he said.
(With inputs from PTI)