Amit Shah was here to dedicate to the people a water reservoir and to lay the foundation stones for various infrastructure projects in Tamil Nadu.

 

Speaking at a function here, Amit Shah said that after coming to power at the Centre, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been carrying out a war against corruption, family politics and caste politics.

 

He said that people in different states are teaching lessons to those practicing family politics and the same will happen in Tamil Nadu, obliquely referring to the major opposition party, the DMK.

 

Shah said in Tamil Nadu there is a family party and in the upcoming elections it will be the democratic party that will triumph over the family party. Tamil Nadu will go to the polls next year.

 

Expressing surprise at the Congress and the DMK talking about corruption, Amit Shah said both the parties do not have any right to talk about it, as it is them who had indulged in the Rs 1.76 lakh crore 2G spectrum scam.

 

Referring to the DMK leaders' constant complaint that the Central government has not done anything for Tamil Nadu, Shah asked what the Congress-DMK government at the Centre had done for the state during its 10 year rule.

 

In the 2013-14 Union budget, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had allocated only Rs 16,155 crore for Tamil Nadu. In the last budget, the Modi government had allocated a sum of Rs 32,850 crore for the state, Shah said.

 

During the Covid-19 pandemic, a sum of Rs4,500 crore was provided to Tamil Nadu and the Modi government had supplied 52.76 lakh free cooking gas cylinders to the poor, Shah said.

 

The Union Home Minister assured the people of Tamil Nadu that the Modi government will work along with the Palaniswami government to develop industries for the welfare of the poor.

 

Attacking the Congress, Shah asked what the Congress government had done for farmers' welfare.

 

The Home Minister said the Modi government has paid about Rs 95,000 crore to the farmers' bank accounts directly.

 

In Tamil Nadu, a sum of Rs 4,400 crore has been paid into the bank accounts of 45 lakh farmers, he said.

 

Shah also said that Tamil Nadu has good potential in the fisheries sector, and is placed 4th in the country in the seafood segment.

 

According to him, the Central government under Modi is committed to Tamil Nadu's development and one of the two defence corridors is being set up in the state.

 

Shah said under the Sagarmala project, Rs 2.25 lakh crore has been allocated for Tamil Nadu and in Madurai, an AIIMS will be built at an outlay of Rs 12,460 crore. He also said that work on the East Coast Road has begun at an outlay of Rs 7,700 crore.

 

"The Modi government has given Tamil Nadu its due place among the states, something which had never been done before by any Central government," Shah said.

 

Showering praise on the AIADMK-led Tamil Nadu government, Shah said under the leadership of Chief Minister K. Palaniswami and Deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam, the state is progressing ahead.

 

He also appreciated Palaniswami and Panneerselvam for successfully fighting the Covid-19 pandemic. The state's recovery rate is as high as about 97 per cent.

 

According to Shah, no other state has taken care of the pregnant women and new-born babies during the Covid-19 pandemic like Tamil Nadu. Not only during Covid-19 period, Tamil Nadu is the leader in providing good governance, he said.

 

At the start of his speech, Shah apologised for his inability to speak in Tamil, recognised as the world's oldest language. He said Tamil Nadu's culture and traditions are ancient and the contribution of the people of the state in India's freedom struggle was important.

 

Shah said the Modi government has reformed the agriculture laws and the Tamil Nadu government has extended its support for that.

 

The Central government is implementing various welfare schemes like cooking gas, Jan Dhan bank scheme, housing for all etc., Shah said, adding that Tamil Nadu is ahead in all these schemes.

 

Showering praise on Shah as the youngest Home Minister of the country, AIADMK Coordinator and Deputy CM Panneerselvam declared that the alliance with the BJP will continue in the upcoming elections, and expressed confidence that the AIADMK will win the polls for a third time.