Prime Minister Narendra Modi slammed the opposition parties in Tamil Nadu saying that they were busy creating an atmosphere of mistrust to serve their own interests.
At a public event in Madurai on Sunday, the PM urged the youth of the southern state to reject the “forces of negativity”.
“It is unfortunate that an atmosphere of suspicion and mistrust is being created by a few people in Tamil Nadu, to serve their own selfish interests,” the PM said without taking any names in the presence of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami and Governor Banwarilal Purohit.
“I urge all of you to remain vigilant against such negativity and call upon the people of Madurai, and the youth of Tamil Nadu, to reject the forces of negativity,” the PM added.
The PM assured the people of the state that the 10 per cent reservation for upper castes will not impact Dalits, Tribals and OBCs, who are already availing benefits of reservation.
“I want to talk to you about one more issue. This is relating to the Devendra Kula Vellalar community and ensuring justice as well as opportunities for them,” he said.
“The issue came to me and I’m fully sensitive towards their demands,” Modi added, referring to the community’s demand to be excluded from the Scheduled Caste (SC) list.
The PM said that the Union Government is taking effective steps to rid the country of corruption and nepotism.
“Any person who has cheated or looted the country, shall be brought to justice,” he said.
The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), the main opposition party in Tamil Nadu, has extended support to the ‘grand alliance’ which aims to take on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in the country.
DMK chief MK Stalin had on 19 January attended a mega anti-BJP rally in West Bengal on the invitation of the state’s Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee. Stalin had then urged the people to vote BJP and PM Modi out of power.
Reports say that the ruling All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) is apparently in talks with the BJP for an alliance ahead of the elections.
Protests were organised against the Prime Minister in Madurai by opposition parties.
MDMK chief Vaiko was seen leading a protest with black flags earlier today. The DMK, on the other hand, targeted the PM on social media.
A Saravanan, DMK MLA, accused the PM of never offering any solace when Tamil Nadu was in distress. He said that the party is opposing the PM’s visit because of the majoritarian politics of the BJP.
Before his address, the PM laid the foundation stone for an All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Madurai and also inaugurated super speciality blocks at three medical colleges.
The 750-bedded AIIMS will cost Rs 1,264 crore and is expected to go on stream in 2022. It will have a capacity of 100 MBBS seats and 60 for B.Sc. (Nursing).
Speaking at the function, Palaniswami thanked PM Modi for setting up the AIIMS soon after the Centre had announced its plans to set up one in each state.