Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a scathing attack on the DMK and Congress said the leaders of the two parties "brainstorm" on looting the people.Launching the BJP's election campaign in Tamil Nadu from this industrial city which is about 500 kms from Chennai, Modi said the leaders of DMK and Congress "brainstorm" on the methods to loot the nation.The Prime Minister said the nation is seeing two distinct styles of politics - the opposition's misgovernance with corruption and the ruling BJP-led NDA's governance with compassion."Both the methods are very different. For the opposition what matters is personal gains. They want to capture power to fill their pockets," Modi charged."DMK and Congress leaders brainstorm on how to loot and those who give most innovative ways to loot are rewarded with posts and ministries," he said.Modi said the opposition's style of politics is based on bullying and harassment.Continuing his attack on DMK, Modi added that whenever that party comes to power it promotes a "strongman culture". In every district, the DMK has anti-social elements who trouble innocent citizens, he alleged.Modi alleged DMK party cadres do not leave any chance to extort money.According to him, it is the women who suffer because of this and added that everyone knows how the DMK had treated late Chief Minister and AIADMK leader J. Jayalalithaa.Leaders who troubled Jayalalithaa were rewarded by DMK and Congress, Modi said.On the other hand, NDA's approach to governance is with compassion, he Modi.He said when crores of new bank accounts were opened (Jan Dhan scheme) it was the poor who gained the most.Similarly, it was poor people who benefited under the world's largest health care programme - Ayushman Bharat - and when heart stents and knee replacements were made cheaper.Modi charged that the DMK has lost the right to be called an "all-Tamil Nadu party" as it last won a full electoral majority 25 years back.
Attacking the Congress and DMK, the Prime Minister said the two parties are suffering from internal contradictions.Both parties have tried to launch and relaunch their respective "first families" without success, he said."There is a continuous family drama there. DMK and Congress are so busy in internal matters that they cannot deliver good governance in Tamil Nadu," Modi said.On the other hand, the NDA is united like a family and its focus is on people's welfare.He said DMK ruled Tamil Nadu for many years. Congress was at the Centre for many years but didn't bother about the demand of the Devendra Kulla Vellar community.It was the current AIADMK government in Tamil Nadu and BJP-led NDA government at the Centre that agreed to the demand of Devendra Kulla Vellar community.With Assembly polls in Tamil Nadu around the corner, Modi said during the last few years, the people of India had given a strong message.He said the people want development-oriented governance and good governance and have kept the anti-development parties at a distance.Modi said the NDA government at the Centre and Tamil Nadu's AIADMK government is a classic example of cooperative federalism.The Prime Minister said the NDA government gives top priority to the welfare of small businesses and farmers.During the Covid-19 pandemic, emergency credit of about Rs 14,000 crore was sanctioned to about 3.5 lakh micro, medium and small enterprises (MSMEs) in the country and about 25,000 MSMEs in Tamil Nadu also benefitted, Modi said.He said the central government is equally focussed on the development of the vibrant textile sector and seven textile parks will come up in the country in three years.The central government's focus was on providing a life of dignity and prosperity for small farmers, Modi said while listing out schemes like Kisan Credit Card, crop insurance and others.Modi, who often quotes from Tamil literature within and outside India, said he takes great pride in Tamil culture and the Tamil language is the oldest.He said the Centre has permitted engineering and medical education in regional languages which would benefit the students."The NDA stands for regional aspirations and national progress. The development works launched today must be seen in that spirit," Modi said.