A battleground is being set across the country by the opposition parties to take on the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) in next year’s general elections. Now, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK chief MK Stalin has attacked the saffron party on a range of issues in the first episode of his podcast ‘Speaking for India’. He highlighted several promises alleging that the BJP could not complete them and accused the party of trying to damage the basic structure of India. He claimed that BJP’s Narendra Modi model is going to end.
'BJP Failed To Fulfill Pre-Election Promises'
Stalin said that BJP had not been able to fulfill many of the promises that it made before the elections. He began by appealing to people to speak up for India, saying that BJP is trying to destroy the sense of unity that Indians have cherished for so long.
"The purpose of this podcast series is that I, Muthuvel Karunanidhi Stalin, the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, the leader of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, the third largest party in the Indian Parliament, and most importantly, as someone who is one among you, want to speak for India. We are in a time where each and everyone of us has to speak up for India," the Tamil Nadu CM said.
"The Bharatiya Janata Party is trying to damage the basic structure of India, and destroy the sense of unity that Indians have cherished and protected for so long. The Bharatiya Janata Party, which came to power in 2014, has failed to fulfill its pre-election promises, especially with regards to the people welfare schemes," he claimed, while naming following promises:
- We will recover the Black Money deposited in foreign countries, and give Rs 15 lakhs to every Indian
- A guaranteed employment to 2 crore people every single year
- We will double the income of farmers
- Every Indian will have an own house
- India will become a 5 trillion-dollar economy.
- He added, "There were many other yarns that were spun that just remained tall tales. It is soon going to be ten years of the BJP governance, and none of those promises have been fulfilled."
'Narendra Modi Model Going To End'
Taking a jibe at PM Narendra Modi and his speeches where he cited the ‘Gujarat mode’, Stalin said that the "Narendra Modi model, which came to power lying about the Gujarat Model, is now going to end with no significant model to call their own."
Stalin said that it had become a rudderless model. He said that after his party listed the achievements of the Dravidian Model in Tamil Nadu with statistical proofs, there are no tall claims about the once-famous Gujarat model either".
He said it was "disheartening to see how India’s strong public sector is being dismantled and destroyed by the Union government". He alleged that the BJP is "misusing" its power to transfer the public sector to its "corporate friends".
"The welfare of the entire country has been reduced to the welfare of a few. Government-owned Air India has now been privatised..," he added.
Stalin said that airports and ports all over India are going into the hands of private organisations, adding that "While Prime Minister Modi’s promise to double the income of farmers is far from fulfilled, the living standards of the poor and downtrodden haven't become better either".
'BJP Has Taken Religion As Weapon'
Sharpening his attacks on the BJP, Stalin said that the party has taken religion as its weapon to hide all its shortcomings.
"They are inciting the fire of religious sentiments of people and basking in the warmth of its fiery flames," he claimed.
Citing the 2002 Gujarat riots, the CM alleged that BJP sowed the seeds of violence and hatred in the state. "In 2023, the sectarian fire ignited in the northeastern state of Manipur saw the State burn. In Haryana, the fire of religious fanaticism is claiming lives and property of innocent people," he added.
"If we don't put an end to this right now, no one can save India and Indians," he appealed to his listeners.
He further said, "Whenever India's diversity, federalism, and democracy has been threatened, DMK has always been the vanguard, standing at the frontline. "You should take the DMK as the spearhead of the opposition to the unitary nature..." proclaimed Perarignar Anna in the Council of States. This was echoed by the leader of Tamil people, Kalaignar, who not only proclaimed that DMK must operate as a party from Tamil Nadu that will always speak for India, but also brought in structural and systemic changes to this order."
2024 Election Is About 'Who Should Not Come To Power'
Stating that DMK has made Prime Ministers and Presidents, Stalin said that "there is another duty of historical importance that has come our way".
Pointing at next year’s political battle, he said the 2024 election is more " about who should not come to power than deciding who should come to power".
"During the 9-year BJP rule, there have been many harmful scams that have destroyed the States. GST has taken away the financial rights of the States. Tamil Nadu has lost its right to financial autonomy. Despite repeated requests by the states to extend the GST compensation for another 2 years, the Union government paid no heed to it," he added.
Claiming that Tamil Nadu gives huge amount of funds annually to the Union Government through taxes, he said that for every rupee paid as tax revenue to the Union Government, only 29 paise was returned to the State.
"From 2014 till last year, the tax paid by our state to the Union Government was 5 lakh 16 thousand crore rupees. But, in return, all we got was 2 lakh 8 thousand crore rupees. If it is argued that the Union Government cannot give the entirety of what they receive from each State, then how is it able to do it in BJP-ruled States?" The CM said.
Slamming BJP-led NDA government’s tax model, he said, "A state ruled by BJP has paid only 2 lakh 24 thousand crore rupees in taxes. But through tax sharing, the State received a whopping 9 lakh 4 thousand crore rupees. This is what we point out as bias and wrong-doing. The BJP government is being vengeful against their opposition parties."
'BJP Wants To Destroy Sovereignty Of State Govts'
Stalin said that Tamil Nadu continues to face huge financial losses in the Finance Commission allocation. He claimed that in the 12th Finance Commission, the allocation of funds to Tamil Nadu was 5.305 percent. "However, in the 15th Finance Commission, it was reduced to 4.079 percent. The amount of money that Tamil Nadu loses every year isn’t negligible. We are losing thousands of crores which we should get rightfully," he added.
Alleging that Union government wants to take credit for many projects, he said that Tamil Nadu has not been given a single special scheme in these 9 years.
"The present BJP Union government is only functioning as a vengeful body primed against the State governments. They only want to destroy the sovereignty of the State governments, which are directly responsible for the welfare of the people. They are trying to destroy the entire country through such relentless activities," the CM said.
'I.N.D.I.A Alliance Will Save India'
The Tamil Nadu CM made a pitch for the opposition’s I.N.D.I.A alliance. He said that an India where these (Social justice, secular politics, socialism, equity, social harmony, state autonomy, federalism, unity in diversity) facets thrive in its full glory is the real India. An unparalleled India.
"We have formed the I.N.D.I.A Alliance to restore such an India. It is this I.N.D.I.A alliance that is going to save India," he said.
Stalin said that the I.N.D.I.A alliance must win if people want to prevent the whole country from becoming Manipur and Haryana, which, "unfortunately, fell victim to BJP's communal politics, and hate-inciting policies".
He said that initial rounds of consultation meetings for the streamlining of I.N.D.I.A alliance have been held in Patna, Bangalore and Mumbai.
"Let's carve out a multi-cultural and diverse India! Let's save India. For that, let’s first SPEAK FOR INDIA! Henceforth, this will not only be the voice of M.K. STALIN but the voice of INDIA. Ensure my voice becomes the voice of everyone in India. Let INDIA be the real winner!" Stalin concluded.