SIVAGANGA (TN): A day after Narendra Modi mocked at alleged distribution of watches to voters with photos of the Finance Minister, BJP President Rajnath Singh too lashed out at the exercise, saying it is an ‘allegory’ that symbolizes the end of the Congress regime.
“Chidambaram who was minister from this constituency since 1984 did not establish industries or create job opportunities for youth. Distribution of watches is allegory that symbolizes that the Congress regime is coming to a close,” he said.
Modi had made a caustic reference at Ramanathapuram yesterday to the alleged distribution of watches and had demanded a probe by the Election Commission against the Minister and Congress.
Addressing an election campaign meeting in support of BJP candidate H Raja here today, Rajnath Singh said the party led NDA alliance in Tamil Nadu had “smashed” the belief that there was no alternative to DMK or AIADMK in the state and that only they could form the government.
“The NDA alliance in Tamil Nadu will not only make Modi Prime Minister, but bring NDA Government in the state in 2016.”
He said decades of governance by the two Dravidian parties had not brought about any development to the state, compared to Gujarat or Madhya Pradesh, Goa or Chattisgarh.
Tearing into the Congress, he said the party was bound to give a reply to the people why it could not make India an economic superpower and eradicate poverty and unemployment despite being in power for 55 years.
“Congress could neither control prices nor corruption.
The Dravidian parties joined Congress only to get cabinet berths in the government,” he alleged.
He claimed that compared to Congress regime, there was no corruption between 1998 and 2004, when NDA was in power. If Congress had invested the ‘corruption money’ earned by it in the last 10 years in Tamil Nadu, the state would have been developed now, he said.
Attacking Congress for failing to skillfully use its relationship with Sri Lanka to end the problems faced by fishermen from Tamil Nadu, he said the BJP if elected to power would set up a separate development board for fishermen and also Lankan Tamils get equal rights.
He said as per the 13th constitutional amendment of Sri Lanka, it should have shared power with states. “If Modi becomes PM, a solution to Lankan Tamils’ strife will be found.”
He recalled that when Vajpayee was PM, he had persuaded China to agree that Arunachal Pradesh is part of India. “But the present government is so weak that Pakistan is killing Indian soldiers and sending back mutilated bodies,” he said.
Later, speaking at an election campaign rally at Thanjavur, Rajnath Singh said the only “achievement” of the Congress-led UPA government in the 10 years was huge corruption.
He said the NDA rule during 1998-2003 had created employment opportunities for six crore persons, whereas the 14-year tenure of the UPA had generated only 27 lakh jobs.
He said the BJP government if elected to power would ensure that the problems plaguing the power and agriculture sectors in Tamil Nadu would be solved. -PTI
