Jayalalithaa terms Gujarat model a myth

She says Tamil Nadu is ahead of Gujarat in various indicators including social indices and industry

April 17, 2014 06:50 pm | Updated November 27, 2021 06:55 pm IST - Krishnagiri/Dharmapuri/Tiruchi

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa addresses an election meeting in Krishnagiri on Thursday. Photo: N. Bashkaran

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa addresses an election meeting in Krishnagiri on Thursday. Photo: N. Bashkaran

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, leading the campaign of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam for the April 24 Lok Sabha election in the State, intensified her attack on the BJP and specifically targeted its prime ministerial candidate, Narendra Modi, on Thursday. Her vigorous criticism is seen as a tactical move to counter a possible Muslim consolidation behind the DMK in the election.

Days after openly criticising Mr. Modi, the AIADMK leader, campaigning in Krishnagiri and Dharmapuri, yet again said the BJP and the Congress had “betrayed” Tamil Nadu in getting its due share of Cauvery waters from Karnataka.

After slamming the previous DMK regime for the “tardy” implementation of the Rs. 1,892-crore Hogenakkal water scheme for Dharmapuri, Ms. Jayalalithaa said the former Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee only spoke of “interlinking major rivers,” but did not implement the plan.

She said her government had already taken certain steps to link rivers within the State — the Thamirabarani-Karumeniaru-Nambiar link, for instance. She asked Mr. Modi if he would allocate Rs. 6,500 crore to link rivers in Tamil Nadu if he were to become Prime Minister. She wanted to know if the BJP would guarantee uninterrupted release of Cauvery waters to Tamil Nadu. Despite Gujarat’s claims of being in the forefront in many fields, Tamil Nadu was way ahead of it in industrial investments, poverty alleviation and reducing infant and maternal mortality, Ms. Jayalalithaa said taking another jibe at Mr. Modi.

The Chief Minister’s stepped-up attack on the BJP comes close on the heels of the decision of the Tamil Nadu Towheed Jamath, a key Muslim outfit, to break ties with the AIADMK for “failing to criticise” the party on the anti-minorities aspects in its election manifesto, such as those on the uniform civil code and construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya.

The outfit has decided to back the Congress in three constituencies and the DMK, which already has roped in the Indian Union Muslim League and the Manithaneya Makkal Katchi, in the rest, in a shot in the arm for the DMK.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.