Chennai: Describing in detail the good work done by his government for the well-being of the people of Tamil Nadu and Tamil fishermen, Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a strident appeal to the people to join the national mainstream of development by voting out the two Dravidian parties in the State and associate themselves with his BJP.
“Development is the only medicine for us. You should liberate the State from the two Dravidian parties by voting them out and thus change the future of Tamil Nadu,” he urged. In order to ensure the good schemes of the BJP government at the Centre reach every household in Tamil Nadu, elect the BJP candidates as legislators. “Only then we can bring change,” he added amidst cheering by scores of party cadres at a BJP rally got up on Friday evening to introduce his party candidates for the May 16 Assembly election.
The PM even quoted a couplet from Tirukkural in Tamil “Ithanai Ithnaal Ivan Mudikkum Enrayandhu Athanai Avnkan Vidal” to elucidate why the people should vote for the BJP.
(A rough English translation of this Couplet no. 517 means: The thoughtful king should allot the work to the man who can accomplish the task and thus leave the matter wholly in his servant's hand).
Recalling the efforts he took to trace out and rescue Father Prem who was captured by the Taliban, Mr Modi said he called up Prem's sister and informed that her brother would land on Indian soil in two hours' time. Even in the case of the five fishermen who faced the gallows in Sri Lanka, he had pursued all diplomatic channels and ensured not only their liberation but also facilitated their return to their homeland.
“You (the people) have not seen good governance here. You have only seen a government that thrust adversities upon you. The previous government made money out of thin air - the 2G scam and coal block allocation scam. But I have been striving for a Digital India, Swachch Bharat, Jan Dhan Yojana and initiated several schemes,” he said and appealed to the people to make a wise decision between a bad government and the BJP that “wipes your tears.”
Mr Modi took pot shots at the Congress which has been agitating against his government over the AgustaWestland Chopper deal scam saying they “shouted at him” as he tightened the screw.
“Why are they getting angry? My action against corruption is hurting those who emptied the treasury and so they are agitated. If anyone is shouting against Modi it is because we have tightened the screw against corruption,” the PM who refrained from criticising CM J. Jayala-lithaa or DMK chief M. Karunanidhi, directly, said.
There were some lighter moments when Mr. Modi asked the crowd to answer him either in Hindi or Tamil to a few questions that he posed in Hindi. “Do you have any relationship with Italy?
Do I have any relationship with Italy, Do I know Italian,” and the crowd roared with a thunderous “no.” “Such being the case, those who ate the money of AgustaWestland are getting angry,” he added.
