Amit Shah slams Jayalalithaa over Central aid

Alleging corruption to the tune of Rs 12,000 crore in various forms in the last five years of the AIADMK rule in Tamil Nadu, BJP national president Amit Shah charged the state government on refusing to implement the Centrally-sponsored development and social welfare schemes in the last two years since the NDA government assumed office at the Centre.

Speaking at an election campaign meeting at Tenkasi in Tirunelveli district on Wednesday, Mr Shah said various Central schemes like the life insurance plan to benefit the poor, the crop insurance scheme for the welfare of the small and medium farmers and the Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana, which were huge successes elsewhere in the nation, did not click in Tamil Nadu primarily due to the AIADMK government.

The state government refused to take up the Centre-sponsored scheme of developing village roads at a cost of Rs 180 crore this year, Mr Shah alleged and expressed apprehension that if re-elected to power, the AIADMK administration could even stop implementing the free LPG scheme for the poor women. The scheme was launched last week by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Gujarat.

He said the PM had sanctioned Rs 2,000 crore as relief to TN after making an aerial survey of the affected areas just after the rain-floods during December. “But the Tamil Nadu government utilised this money to distribute Rs 5,000 each as relief to the flood victims by stamping its name on it,” he alleged. Taking a dig at the free rice scheme aimed at helping the poor, Mr Shah said while the Centre was providing subsidy for the scheme, the state government had labelled its name on it. He did not spare the DMK and the Congress in his hard-hitting speech in Hindi, which was translated by an interpreter for the Tamil audience. Both the parties had combined well in committing major scams such as 2G, he said, while declaring that the May 16 polls will be “a real battle” between the corrupt and the non-corrupt. While the AIADMK, DMK and the Congress represented the corrupt bloc, the BJP was on the other side. He insisted and urged the TN people to vote for the BJP so as to ensure the state’s development. Mr Shah’s attack on the DMK came barely a day after DMK president M. Karunanidhi hailed Mr Modi as an able administrator and a good friend.

The rally was attended by Union minister Pon Radhakrishnan and BJP general secretary Muralidhar Rao. Mr Shah introduced his party candidates, B. Selvi contesting in Tenkasi constituency, S.V. Anburaj (Alangulam), V. Kathirvel (Kadayanallur), N. Rajkumar (Vasudevanallur) and K. Gunasekaran, contesting in the reserved constituency of Sankarankoil.

Later, he left for Nagercoil to campaign for the BJP candidates contesting in all six constituencies of Kanyakumari district.