Chennai: With just a day for the curtains to come down on poll campaigning in the state, BJP senior and Union urban development minister M. Venkaiah Naidu, tore into the Dravidian majors on the freebie culture and said those parties rained freebies on the voters, as they lacked an agenda for development.
“You can say anything before elections, give nothing after election...Tamil Nadu’s financial position is not comfortable for freebies, which are not answers to malnutrition, lack of facilities and problems of the people. The AIADMK and DMK are offering freebies to voters as one would give lollipop and chocolates to children,” he said addressing a rally in T. Nagar on Friday night.
What is urgently needed for the people was good hospitals, efficient doctors, quality medicines, education facilities and drinking water and not mixies and grinders, he said amidst thundering applause by the party cadres who had gathered in large numbers near the arterial T. Nagar bus stand.
Mr Venkaiah, who campaigned in the place of party chief Amit Shah who could not make it to the state on Friday, said money did not grow on trees for these parties. “They would even offer scissors for free and ask people to cut their hair,” he jibed.
“They want to give fish, but BJP wants to teach people to fish. Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants to provide permanent development,” the senior leader who earlier campaigned in various Assembly constituencies in the city, said. Taking pot shots at the Congress, he said “first they came seeking votes for themselves, later for their sons. They will ask votes for their grandchildren and son-in-law too. Dynasty is tasty for them but nasty for the nation.”
At Tiruttani, campaigning for the party candidate M. Chakravarthy, state vice president, Mr Venkaiah said people of Tamil Nadu have seen “Ayya” (DMK chief M. Karunanidhi) and “Amma” (CM J. Jayalalithaa) rule and have not gained anything. “You should now give a chance for the “Bhaiya” (Mr. Modi) rule in the state for development to prevail,” he urged.
