On the morning of 17th April, Shri Narendra Modi addressed massive rallies in Erode, Ramanathapuram and Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu, and made a strong pitch in support of the NDA alliance, which Shri Modi said would be ideal for the interests of Tamil Nadu and the youth of the state. He highlighted local issues ranging from job creation to improving the local economies and presented his vision on how the NDA would solve these issues.
The lack of development in Tamil Nadu, inspite of the vast potential of its textile industry and farm products, was hugely condemned by Shri Modi, who said that there was only ‘one Lady’ responsible for the mess. Referring to former Environment Minister Jayanthi Natarajan, Shri Modi spoke of how this ‘Lady’ had stalled all the infrastructure projects in Tamil Nadu, citing the excuses of ‘green projects’. “Crucial infrastructure was delayed, growth stopped and youth lost their jobs. Who is responsible for this? 1 lady of Tamil Nadu was responsible for delaying lot of infrastructure projects. This lady of Congress caused huge loss to TN and India. In the name of environment all projects were stalled and Jayanti Tax was being imposed. However, this ‘Green’ was not about trees but about currency,” said Shri Modi.
Shri Modi also condemned the game of politics played by the DMK and AIADMK, wherein they took turns to rule the State and simply ruin its resources rather than working for the progress of its people. “Till TN is not freed from these 2 main parties the interest of the people will not be served,” said Shri Modi.
Highlighting the vast potential of Erode’s burgeoning textile industry, Shri Modi stated that the city, with its cotton-dyeing, colouring and handloom sectors, could well become the textile heaven of India, and with the right infrastructure linkages, could prosper and give employment to many youth. He criticized the Central government for the stagnation witnessed in this sector, and questioned the Congress Vice President on whether the Centre had the aptitude to develop this industry and provide the means of livelihood to many, something that China had achieved remarkably. Emphasizing on how the adoption of Common Affluent Plants in the textile industry could save this sector and the environment, Shri Modi affirmed of the BJP’s promise in its Manifesto, of developing the entire value-chain of the handloom sector, with credit support and latest technology.
Shri Modi appreciated the hard work of farmers of Erode, and acknowledged how this had contributed to making their produce preferred across the country, especially spices like turmeric. He attacked the State and Central government on its failure to tap into this expanding market and further promote the market for herbal medicines and cosmetics. “Medicines, cosmetics and herbal industry can change the economy here. BJP will give special focus to develop herbal medicines, Ayurveda,” said Shri Modi, as he assured of providing the market with required technological upgradations and an approach for value-addition and packaging.
Shri Modi also spoke of how the Centre’s regressive policies had brought the market of the very popular Sivakasi crackers to a near-end, and given the crackers from China an opportunity to capture the local market. Shri Modi questioned the Congress President and Vice President for their lack of concern to provide employment to the youth, and said, “Indian youth is talented and want to work hard but you took away their jobs by your regressive politics.”
In Kanyakumari, Shri Modi spoke of the tremendous tourism prospects for the region, and stated how a double-line railway between Kanyakumari and Tamil Nadu could give a massive boost to the influx of tourists. “Scope of development in TN is immense. Kanyakumari alone can play such a big role. We can make such a Kanyakumari that the entire India will come here. This can be developed into a tourist spot,” said Shri Modi, even as he further added how developing the tourism sector would directly lead to the creation of employment opportunities for scores of people.
Speaking on how unemployment remains a big concern in Tamil Nadu, Shri Modi quoted figures which proved that the employment exchange of TN had given opportunities to negligible number of youth in the past. He cited Gujarat’s efforts at empowering the youth through skill development and employment generation, and assured that the focus for BJP was on good governance and development, and thereby enable job creation. “We will reorient the economy in a way that job creation will be at the centre. National Multi Skill Mission will be created, and Tourism and labour intensive manufacturing will be promoted,” said Shri Modi.
Hitting back at Smt. Sonia Gandhi’s recent claims of the UPA working for the safety of the fishermen, Shri Modi questioned if the killing of Indian fishermen by Sri Lanka, was what their ‘safety’ meant off. He further spoke of how the Congress President and the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister were putting the blame on each other, for this sorry-state-of-affairs. He shared the BJP’s focus on working for the betterment of the fishermen community and cited how the Party would ensure that training and technology-orientation would enable the fishermen to succeed in the emerging business of ornamental fish.
Affirming that the Elections 2014 were about ‘India First’, Shri Modi spoke of how the Nation was now looking forward to having a decisive and accountable government at the Centre. Recalling the close association the land of Kanyakumari shared with Swami Vivekananda, Shri Modi said, “This land has a close relation with Swami Vivekananda, who dreamt of India's youth making India a Vishwa Guru.” He urged the youth to become voters and not merely canvassers, and support the new alternative of the NDA in Tamil Nadu. “NDA is the most reliable alternative for the future of TN. Our alliance under Vijaykanth, Vaiko, Ramadoss and Radhakrishnan will change the face of TN and the face of India,” said Shri Modi.
Shri Modi also paid tribute to freedom fighter Dheeran Chinnamalai on his birth anniversary, today.
