Taking strong exception to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’ remark that Madurai will get Metro Rail project if BJP leader Rama Sreenivasan is elected from the temple city in the assembly election, his Tamil Nadu counterpart and DMK president MK Stalin on Tuesday called it shameful blackmail.
As a star campaigner of the saffron party, Fadnavis has landed himself in a controversy with his comment, tying the Madurai with the electoral victory of his party colleague Prof Sreenivasan contesting from Madurai South. Accompanying his party colleague for the nomination, he made this remark on Monday.
Swift was the reaction from Stalin, who was scathing in his attack on Fadnavis, accusing him of engaging in open bargain and blackmail of the electorate. “Is this the job of the Maharashtra Chief Minister to attempt to bargain and blackmail Madurai will get the Metro Rail project if only a BJP MLA is elected? opposition-ruled state? Having taken oath on the Constitution, a Chief Minister should be ashamed to speak like this in an opposition-ruled state,” Stalin wrote on ‘X’.
The DMK has been making the denial of Metro Rail projects to Madurai and Coimbatore by the Modi government a campaign issue. For his part, Stalin has been raising this at his election rallies to paint the BJP as anti-Tamil. The DMK government is also sore over the Union government not providing its share for the Chennai Metro phase II.
On the Maharashtra Chief Minister’s criticism of Tamil Nadu lagging behind in development due to corruption, he said, “Is he aware of the flagship programmes of the Tamil Nadu government despite the discrimination by the Union government in financial allocation? If he doesn’t, he should get himself updated.” He also reminded his counterpart to keep in mind that “surpassing the ‘dabba’ double engine states that you trumpet, Tamil Nadu under the #DravidianModel has attained double digit economic growth.”
Apart from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, the Maharashtra Chief Minister is among a galaxy of star campaigners that include Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath among others.
On the deepam row at the Thiruparankundram Murugan temple, Fadnavis’ charged the Stalin government with indulging in minority appeasement. “It is so sad that this government has become anti-sanatan and anti-Hindu. They are only appeasing a section of society. They are not respecting the court’s order and challenge it in the Supreme Court. They do not follow the Supreme Court’s order,” he said, responding to a question. Confident of the NDA’s victory, he said the BJP-AIADMK alliance will form the next government as the state requires a change.