Chennai: The event to launch the first part of his autobiography ‘Ungalil Oruvan’ implicitly conveyed a message- that Tamilnadu Chief Minister and DMK president M K Stalin’s importance is growing in the national arena.
Besides bringing together leaders from across the country, the Monday evening also saw them taking on the BJP.
Congress MP Rahul Gandhi hit out at the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre and said it was systematically attacking the voice of people of the country.
Speaking after releasing ‘Ungalil Oruvan’, Rahul had a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said he did not understand the history, culture and tradition of Tamilnadu and insults the people of TN.
When the voice of TN says the GST harms productive States and you do not respond. He did not understand the hsitory of TN and the Nation. In 3,000 years no body was able to impose anything on Tamil people. And in 3,000 years from today none can force impose anything on TN. I have the experience of Tamil people. You talk to them with love and affecton, you can get anything from them. If you respect their language and culture, they will give love in return, he said.
‘It is a misundetrstanidng that PM has. It is a misunderstanding about all States’, Rahul said.
Referring to former J and K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s earlier speech, Rahul said he said probably the most important thing to be said today. ‘I want to repeat it here. We have to understand that for the first time sine Indepdendence a State of the Indian Union had its powers taken away from it. It has nevery happened before.’
‘The rights of the people were snatched from them. Today the people of J and K did not rule by themselves. Bureaucrats from Gujarat, UP are ruling J and K and that is the extreme what they have done to J and K. In Punjab, they have unilaterally taken miles of the land and gave it to BSF without any discussion. and They are going to do the same to TN.’, he said.
Stating that India has very very diverse people, States and languages, Rahul said historically India has taken advantage of this diversity. ‘It is our biggest strength. I learn from people of TN and people of TN learns from other States and they learn each other. We respect each other.’
Earlier, National Conference leader Omar Abdullah had a dig at the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre and said what happened in his state, might not end there and might take place in other states.
He said the J and K was divided into two without the consent of the people of the state.
‘For the first time in the history of India, a State was downgraded into Union Territory. The decision was taken without the consent of the people of the State and the Assembly was done away with’, he added.