Tamil Nadu leading in industrial development: Nirmala Sitharaman

Chennai: Union commerce minister Nirmala Sitharaman who had recently endorsed her senior Cabinet colleague M. Venkaiah Naidu's averment that CM J. Jayalalithaa is accessible, had a word of praise for TN government. She said TN is in the forefront of industrial development in the country.

The minister who participated in the BJP’s roadshow in the city on Friday told reporters that the Global Investor’s Meet was successful because of the joint efforts of the Central and state Governments.

“But as far as Tamil Nadu is concerned people want a party that will make the state to prosper and strive for its growth. They are fed up with the incapability of the regional parties to do that. Only the BJP has the strength to win over the people's minds,” Nirmala accompanied by her party's Saidapet candidate Kalidass who filed his nomination on Friday said.

The party’s state BJP vice-president M. Chakravarthy was also among nominees who submitted their papers on the last day of filing of nominations. “We can not expect Modi wave in Assembly election,” she replied to a specific query. “In this Assembly election its development and corruption-free government that counts. And BJP under Prime Minister Narendra Modi is capable of ensuring this,” she added.

Asked why the BJP was not successful in defeating the regional parties in the South, the minister said, the new generation of voters would support the party and cited the case of Gujarat and Maharashtra where the BJP emerged victorious by defeating the regional parties. There was some confusion before the commencement of the BJP rally as the police initially denied permission. It resumed after the police allowed it later.