Congress-DMK synonymous with corruption, NDA for development: Amit Shah

Ramanathapuram: In his first address in the Tamil Nadu after forging a coalition with AIADMK and PMK, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah on Friday called the alliance of Congress and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) as synonymous with corruption.

“DMK and Congress party who indulged in Rs 12 lakh crore worth scams can't work for the development of Tamil Nadu. Congress and DMK are synonymous with corruption while the BJP and NDA stand for development and governance,” he added.

In the 2014 general elections, BJP partnered with PMK, DMDK and five other smaller parties in Tamil Nadu. The alliance had won only two seats while AIADMK bagged 37 Lok Sabha seats.

Addressing Shakti Kendra Pramukh Sammelan, Shah said: “Those who were involved in the 2G scam, Adarsh scam, AgustaWestland helicopter scam, and Coal scam can’t work for the development of the people. I dare DMK chief Stalin and Rahul Gandhi to give an account of the development of Tamil Nadu to its people.”

Earlier, DMK president MK Stalin had announced to give 10 Lok Sabha seats to Congress in the state including Puducherry wherein all 40 seats are at stake.

“In the 13th Finance Commission, Congress-led UPA government gave only Rs 94,540 crore to Tamil Nadu whereas the NDA government gave around Rs 5.42 lakh crore for the development of Tamil Nadu. This is 500 per cent more than what the Congress-led UPA government has given,” Shah said underlining the welfare work carried out by the central government in Tamil Nadu.

On the alliance of BJP in the state, the BJP president said: “We are not going to fight the election on just 5 seats. We are going to fight elections on 40 seats in alliance with AIADMK. I am confident that we will win more than 35 seats in Tamil Nadu in the upcoming elections.”

The BJP will contest five out of the 39 Lok Sabha seats in Tamil Nadu and put up its candidate for the lone Lower House seat in Puducherry. Seven seats (six Lok Sabha and one Rajya Sabha) have been allotted to the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) for the Lok Sabha elections.

Speaking on the dastardly terrorist attack on CPRF personnel in Kashmir’s Pulwama, Shah said: “Two bravehearts of Tamil Nadu laid down their lives protecting the country in Jammu and Kashmir. I bow to the bravery of the security personnel martyred in Jammu and Kashmir." 

“Our government is committed to working against terrorism and have zero-tolerance. Prime Minister Narendra Modi led NDA government will avenge the killing of our soldiers,” he added.