BJP denies funds, stokes communal tension in T.N., says Chief Minister-OxBig News Network

Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Saturday accused the BJP of stoking communal tension on the one hand and denying the State its finance dues on the other.

Addressing a public meeting to condemn the BJP government for its failure to allocate adequate funds to Tamil Nadu, Mr. Stalin said that if the BJP failed to change its attitude, the people would force it to do so. “It [the BJP] will lose respect among the people,” he said.

Reiterating that no one, including Governor R.N. Ravi, could hamper development projects proposed by the DMK, Mr. Stalin said that the BJP was creating fresh troubles in the State. “Some people are trying to instigate violence. Though they belong to different religions and communities, the people of the State are united by their identity as Tamils. They have the capability to distinguish between politics and spirituality. Tamil Nadu will not accept the evil forces that use religion for politics,” he said.

Mr. Stalin also accused the BJP government of failing to ensure the safety of pilgrims in the Kumbh Mela. “A total of 48 persons were killed in the stampede. But the BJP government says that only 30 persons had died. Samajwadi Party leader Akilesh Yadav said that the bodies were removed by earth-movers. But the BJP government refused to permit a discussion in Parliament,” he said. Mr. Stalin further condemned the shackling and deportation of 104 Indians by the U.S.

“External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar is speaking in a tone that justifies the action of the U.S. government. Is this the way to protect the interests of Indians? Doesn’t Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who claimed to have achieved the status of Vishwa Guru through his world tours, consider this a humiliation? The U.S. president is your friend, and you campaigned for him. Should he not have talked to him about the fate of Indians,” the Chief Minister asked.

On the Budget, Mr. Stalin said that though he was not against allocating funds for Bihar and Andhra Pradesh, he was only questioning why the Centre was ignoring Tamil Nadu.

“There are no new special schemes for Tamil Nadu. There is no new railway project. It [the Centre] has not even increased the funds for the existing railway projects. There is no fund for the second phase of the Metro Rail project, and no allocation for the AIIMS in Chennai,” he added.