Corruption at its peak in Tamil Nadu, claims Amit Shah

Branding the present government as the most corrupt-ever in Tamil Nadu, BJP president Amit Shah said here on Wednesday that corruption was at its peak in the state. He alleged that there was no proper tendering process for any scheme in the state and projects were awarded based on bribes.

Shah was here to introduce the candidates of the party and its allies for the coming elections. The meeting venue, the military grounds at Mannarpuram, saw a turnout of around 10,000.

Shah criticised both Dravidian parties and the Congress for corruption. “Be it the DMK, the AIADMK or the Congress, all of them were mired in corruption cases such as 2G, Aircel-Maxis, disproportionate assets. But there were no corruption charges against the BJP governments in 14 states.”

Accusing the AIADMK government of betraying the people by not allowing mixing of ethanol in petrol and diesel, Shah said, “By permitting mixing of ethanol with petrol and diesel across the country, the central government helped sugarcane farmers to increase their income. However, the Tamil Nadu government was betraying the people by making liquor with ethanol.”

He criticised Jayalalithaa for taking credit for welfare measures such as the Rs2,000-crore flood relief for people of the state the subsidy of Rs27 on rice. “Like Uday, schemes such as medical and accident insurance for Rs330 did not reach the people because of the non-cooperation of the state government.

Claiming that the Narendra Modi government was taking steps to bring welfare schemes to people even in the remotest parts of the country, Shah said the Jayalalithaa government remained a stumbling block to taking the schemes to the people. “The Narendra Modi government is working on schemes to strengthen Tamil Nadu, but when it comes to implementation there must be a government which should take them to the people. This government is one which should be definitely thrown out. So I appeal to you to vote for BJP-led NDA to bring about a change in Tamil Nadu,” he said.

Shah said the BJP was keen on improving its performance in the state. Highlighting that fact that the NDA bagged over 19 per cent votes in the parliamentary elections, he said the aim should be to improve the vote share in the state rather than thinking about winning or losing the elections.