LS polls: Hard-selling Brand BJP in Dravidian Tamil Nadu, PM Modi terms DMK, Congress sinners for ceding Katchatheevu islet to Lanka
He also said that the BJP manifesto which was released on Tamil New Year day focused on promoting Tamil -- one of the oldest languages in the world.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi (IANS)
TIRUNELVELI: Concluding the Tamil Nadu leg of his campaign for the Lok Sabha polls on Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a Tamil-centric pitch, including reiterating the manifesto promise of setting up Thiruvalluvar centres across the world, and labeled Congress and the DMK as "sinners" over ceding of Katchatheevu islet to Sri Lanka.
Campaigning for BJP candidates Nainar Nagendran (Tirunelveli), Pon Radhakrishnan (Kanniyakumari) and Radhika Sarathkumar (Virudhunagar), besides ally John Pandian of the Tamizhaga Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam, who is contesting from Tenkasi (SC), Modi outlined the features of his party's manifesto, referring to Thiruvalluvar centres, bullet train in south India and promotion of pearl farming. Like Viksit Bharat, Viksit Tamil Nadu was his mission, he said.
Modi dubbed the DMK and Congress, "anti-national" and said the entire country has now understood the "truth", that they had given Katchatheevu to another country after "cutting it off" from Tamil Nadu. Not only did they keep the people in the dark, they told lies and “committed a sin behind the scenes", Modi alleged.
"Our fishermen brothers get punished for their sins," he said, in an apparent reference to the frequent arrests of Tamil Nadu fishermen by Sri Lanka.
He also accused the DMK of insulting the legacy of late chief minister MG Ramachandran and said it had "ill-treated" late AIADMK matriarch J Jayalalithaa in the Assembly, alluding to the unruly scenes in the House in 1989.
"We worked day and night for Tamil Nadu's development in the past 10 years," Modi said, and noted the launch of Vande Bharat Express between Chennai and Tirunelveli which benefited people in this region and also increased the pace of development.
He also recalled the bravery and sacrifices of iconic freedom fighters of southern Tamil Nadu, including Pasumpon Muthuramalinga Thevar, and said they wanted the nation to become powerful and prosperous. "Today when we reply to India's enemies in their own language, then the dreams of these great people are fulfilled".