What did you bring to Tamil Nadu exactly? CM Stalin asks PM Modi

Tamil Nadu chief minister M.K. Stalin on Wednesday asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to list out the special projects that the Union government has given to Tamil Nadu but which had been scuttled by the state government. Stalin's comments came as a response to Modi's charge during his visit to Tamil Nadu last month that the state government had stalled several Central government schemes.

In his address during a government event, Stalin alleged that while the prime minister has advertised in newspapers and television channels about 'Modi's Guarantee', he has actually done nothing for the people. He also questioned what happened to Modi's 'old guarantees' of depositing Rs 15 lakh in every citizen's bank account and creating two crore jobs a year.

The government function marked the distribution of welfare assistance to beneficiaries, laying of foundation stones for new projects, and inauguration of new schemes. The prime minister is set to visit Tamil Nadu once again in the coming days.

"The people of Tamil Nadu must ask him about the special schemes he has brought to the state. Everyone must ask the prime minister to provide an answer. Will you all ask him?" Stalin asked, addressing the people gathered at the event.

Prime Minister Modi has alleged that the DMK regime scuttled central government projects, which is "nothing but a lie; It is Modi's lie," he said and asked, "What project did he bring? Which project did we prevent? Will he spell out for which project we have been a hurdle?"

Addressing a rally on 28 February in Tamil Nadu, PM Modi had alleged that the DMK regime "does not work" to cooperate in the implementation of Central schemes, but only "takes false credit" and affixes its stickers on these schemes.

The chief minister said he would give just one example to disprove the prime minister's allegations. The AIIMS project for Tamil Nadu was announced in the Union budget of 2015-16, but its construction in Madurai has begun only recently.

Posing a rhetorical question, Stalin asked who stopped the project from being completed — was it J. Jayalalithaa, O. Panneerselvam or Edappadi K. Palaniswami, who were chief ministers during the AIADMK regime (2011-21)? "No, they did not prevent the scheme," Stalin said. "Also, neither did the DMK, which assumed power in May 2021, nor did the people scuttle the AIIMS project. Nobody prevented you (the PM)."

He also wondered aloud if people were so credulous as to believe Modi, who is "lying" for the sake of the Lok Sabha polls. "Lies and WhatsApp stories are the heartbeat of the BJP," Stalin mocked, adding that people "would not buy such lies".

Blaming the AIADMK for "ruining" the state, and the BJP for not "paying attention" to the state, the chief minister said the people see through the "illicit alliance" between the two parties, and sought the people's support to trounce the "fascist" parties.

Announcing new schemes and development projects for the districts of Coimbatore, Erode, Tiruppur and the Nilgiris, Stalin claimed that the DMK government works for the welfare of all sections of people. "For 10 years, AIADMK ruled Tamil Nadu. Can they list out schemes that they implemented?" he asked.

Mocking the AIADMK for claiming that the western region of the state remained their bastion, he wanted to know if the opposition party had done any good for the people of the region. He also hit out at the previous AIADMK dispensation for the infamous Pollachi sexual assault case which was investigated by the CBI and is now pending in court. He also brought up the Kodanadu heist and murder case.

Referring to the police firing during the 2018 protests against the now defunct Sterlite plant in Thoothukudi, he said the AIADMK-BJP alliance "prevented" the police from filing a chargesheet in the gutkha scam. The same parties were now "staging a drama" as if they have severed ties, he said.

"On the one side, there is the secretive alliance between the AIADMK and BJP, which is against the welfare of Tamil Nadu and Tamil people. On the other hand, the people of Tamil Nadu, the democratic forces and DMK stand united to protect the rights of Tamils and to make Tamil Nadu prosperous," Stalin said.

He claimed that when the DMK regime has been able give the people so many welfare and development schemes despite non-cooperation from the Centre, his government would have had "10 times more" achievements had there been a Union government that supported the state government. The time is approaching to usher in a government at the Centre that would stand shoulder-to-shoulder with states, he asserted.