New Delhi: Hitting out at the Tamil Nadu government, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday said the DMK and Congress governments indulged in corruption and scams of Rs 12,000 crore over 10 years. However, nobody has levelled such an allegation against the Central government since Prime Minister Narendra Modi assumed office in 2014.
Addressing a public meeting in Tamil Nadu's Vellore as part of his outreach programme to mark nine years of the Modi government at the Centre, the Bharatiya Janata Party leader said, "Tamil Nadu had Congress-DMK government for 10 years. That government indulged in Rs 12,000 crore of corruption and scams. In nine years, nobody has levelled even one allegation of corruption against the Modi government. The government has enhanced the respect for India before the world. It has also made India secure."
Responding to Chief Minister MK Stalin's remark where he asked the the Union minister to release a list of work that the government did for the southern state, Shah said, "CM Stalin asked me a question publicly - what did PM Narendra Modi do for Tamil Nadu in nine years? I am here to give you an account of nine years. Listen to me and if you have the guts then reply tomorrow."
According to a report by news agency PTI, the Union Minister also pitched for a Tamil Prime Minister in future. He made the remarks at a closed door meeting of state party functionaries during his visit, party sources told PTI. Such an opportunity was lost in the past twice, Amit Shah was said to have stated and reportedly blamed the ruling DMK for this.
Amit Shah reached Chennai airport late at night on Saturday and held discussions with BJP functionaries.
Ahead of his visit, Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai targeted Chief Minister MK Stalin saying he could see "a lot of fear" on the CM's face. Responding to Stalin's comment about what the BJP did for the state in the last nine years, Annamalai said that the party will answer the same on Sunday and asked "what he has done for Tamil Nadu in the last 2 years".
"I see a lot of fear on CM's face. Tomorrow we will answer all the questions of the CM and ask him what he has done for Tamil Nadu in the last 2 years. I hope he will answer our questions as well. The people of Tamil Nadu do not want DMK to be in power and want assembly elections to be rescheduled by three years so that Lok Sabha and assembly elections can be held in 2024." he said while speaking to news agency ANI on Saturday.
Annamalai's statement came after Stalin claimed that BJP might announce Lok Sabha polls earlier to make up for the loss in recently-concluded Karnataka elections adding "BJP's influence is reducing across the country...I am asking the Union Minister to release a list of what the Union Government did for Tamil Nadu in the last nine years."