Shah tears into ‘dynasty politics’ of DMK and Congress

PTI, Feb 28, 2021, 7:56 PM IST

Villupuram: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday launched a broadside against the Congress and the DMK over dynasty politics, saying the respective parties were only worried about their first families and pitched his BJP-led NDA as pro-development which would ensure growth.

While Congress President Sonia Gandhi was ‘worried’ about making her son Rahul Prime Minister, DMK chief M K Stalin was worried about making his son Udhayanidhi the state Chief Minister, he said.

Addressing a Vijay Sankalp election rally here ahead of the April 6 Assembly polls in the state, Shah asked people to choose between the ‘sons and daughters of kings and emperors’ and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s development agenda.

The DMK-Congress alliance ‘believes in dynasty politics,’ he charged.

‘On one side there is the NDA that protects India. Today none can dare do anything in India’s borders. Pakistan dared to do things in Uri, Pulwama. Narendra Modi taught it a lesson by entering its house (and carry out attacks) by directing the military,’ he said in reference to the Balakot air strikes.

The Indian Air Force had in February 2019 attacked terror launch pads in Pakistan’s Balakot area,days after over 40 CRPF jawans were killed in a terror attack in Pulwama in Jammu and Kashmir.

‘On the other side, you have the DMK and Congress parties who are only worried about their families, (which are) steeped in corruption and do the politics of divide and rule.

‘Sonia ji is worried about making Rahul Prime Minister.

Stalin is worried about making Udhayanidhi chief minister.

They are not worried about the country. They are worried about their family,’ he charged.

People of Tamil Nadu have to make up their mind, to choose between these two coalitions, with the ruling AIADMK being part of the NDA.

‘You have to decide in the coming days–whether give the rule to sons and daughters of kings and emperors or vote for development of Tamil Nadu. Whether to make Udhayanidhi the chief minister or (ensure) the (welfare) fishermen.’ ‘..whether to make Rahul Gandhi Prime Minister or for taking Narendra Modi’s development agenda forward. The people of Tamil Nadu have to decide,’ he said.

The voters have to choose ‘Lotus’ and ‘Two Leaves,’ the respective symbols of the BJP and the AIADMK, he said.

The AIADMK-BJP coalition will work on the philosophy of the late chief ministers M G Ramachandran (AIADMK founder) and J Jayalalithaa, besides that of his party, Shah said.

Hailing Ramachandran as the true ‘makkal thilagam,’ (people’s leader) Shah said he was reminded of the stalwart when he saw Modi working for the Dalits, backward and oppressed today, recalling the Tamil Nadu veteran’s service for these sections.