Chennai: BJP president Amit Shah, who took part in poll rallies at Thoothukudi, Sivaganga and Coimbatore Tuesday, focused on how his party-led government ensured the security of the nation and avenged the Pulwama attack, and the Centre’s support to Tamilnadu on the growth front.
Speaking in Coimbatore, he slammed the United Progressive Alliance saying it ‘cannot’ protect the country and only the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government could do it.
Earlier, in Thoothukudi, Amit Shah alleged that the candidates nominated by the Congress and DMK – the likes of Karti Chidambaram, Kanimozhi and A Raja – were tainted by graft.
Seeking votes for his party candidate and State unit chief Tamilisai Soundararajan in the Pearl City, the BJP president said, “When the BJP-led government returns to power at the Centre, it will continue contributing even more for the growth of Tamilnadu.”
He said though BJP’s Pon Radhakrishnan alone had won from Kanyakumari in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, his party-led NDA made two from Tamilnadu – Radhakrishnan and Nirmala Sitharaman – Union Ministers.
Addressing a rally in Sivaganga, where BJP’s H Raja is pitted against Congress’ Karti Chidambaram, Amit Shah appealed to the people to strengthen the hands of Narendra Modi by electing Raja.
He said the BJP government was implementing several poverty alleviation schemes and added it was AIADMK founder and former chief minister M G Ramachandran who pioneered such pro-poor initiatives in India for the benefit of the poor.
Though the BJP had a lone lawmaker (Pon Radhakrishnan) from Tamilnadu, his party-led government at the Centre implemented a host of schemes for its progress, he said.
He said the UPA regime had allotted Rs 94,540 crore during its tenure for Tamilnadu, while the NDA government had provided Rs 5,42,068 crore in just five years for the growth of the State.
Terming his party’s alliance with the AIADMK, PMK and DMDK as robust, he said: “I am confident that the alliance under the leadership of Modi and Palaniswami will emerge victorious and the NDA alliance will go on to win over 30 Lok Sabha seats from Tamilnadu.”
He expressed confidence that Modi would again become the Prime Minister and the new government, too, would work for Tamilnadu’s growth alongside the State government.
He also pointed to projects, including AIIMS Hospital in Madurai and the Sagarmala, which would benefit Tamilnadu, and the efforts taken by the Centre to make Coimbatore, Erode and Tirupur smart cities.
To serve the people, he said, the BJP’s alliance with AIADMK will continue for Assembly polls (2021) as well.