Chennai: BJP leader and former Governor of Puducherry and Telangana, Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan, said on Sunday that the people of Tamil Nadu would eventually ignore Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, who she claimed had shown disrespect by not welcoming Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his recent visit to the state.
Speaking to reporters at the Chennai airport after returning from the inauguration of the new Pamban railway bridge in Rameswaram, Tamilisai said, “The Prime Minister has returned to Tamil Nadu after taking concrete steps to resolve the long-standing issue of Indian fishermen in Sri Lanka. He has made every effort to ensure that such problems do not recur.”
She criticised the Chief Minister for not being present to welcome the Prime Minister, stating, “Instead of receiving the Prime Minister, who is working for the welfare of Tamil Nadu, the Chief Minister chose to go to Ooty to take rest. Was that necessary at a time like this?” Tamilisai accused the Chief Minister of deliberately avoiding the Prime Minister’s visit.
“His absence was intentional and sends a wrong message to the people of the state,” she said. Highlighting the Prime Minister’s commitment to the state, she added, “PM Modi has announced development projects worth Rs 8,000 crore for Tamil Nadu. Yet, the Chief Minister failed to acknowledge his efforts.”
Tamilisai also noted that the Prime Minister has encouraged Tamil Nadu’s political leaders to use the Tamil language while signing documents, emphasising his respect for Tamil culture. “People of Tamil Nadu can no longer be misled by emotional language politics,” she added.
Drawing parallels with Telangana, where she earlier served as Governor, Tamilisai recalled, “When the Prime Minister brought major development projects to Telangana, then Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao chose to boycott him. The people responded by rejecting him in the elections.” She concluded by saying, “The same will happen in Tamil Nadu. People will reject a Chief Minister who disrespects the Prime Minister, especially one who has continuously supported Tamil interests.”
(IANS)
