Give NDA 25+ seats in Tamil Nadu, says Shah. ‘Congress, DMK are 2G, 3G, 4G parties’

At least 25 National Democratic Alliance (NDA) leaders should be elected from Tamil Nadu to Parliament in the upcoming 2024 general election, Union home minister and senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader said during a rally in the state’s Vellore on Sunday, adding that he was confident Prime Minister Narendra Modi would secure a third straight term at the Centre.

“In 2024, Tamil Nadu should bless Narendra Modi and give the NDA more than 25 seats,” he said.

He also hit out at the Congress-Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) combine in the state, accusing them of corruption and nepotism.

“Congress and DMK are 2G, 3G, 4G parties. I am not talking about the 2G (spectrum allocation scam). 2G means two generations, 3G means three generations and 4G means four generations,” he said.

Earlier in the day, Shah also held a meeting with party workers based out of the Chennai south region and said state BJP chief K Annamalai’s work “gives him confidence” that the party can win more than 25 seats in Tamil Nadu and appoint people from the state as central ministers.

Tamil Nadu has 39 Lok Sabha seats, with one seat in Puducherry. The DMK coalition swept the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, winning 38 seats. NDA constituent and the DMK’s chief opponent in the state, the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) won just one seat, the sole win for the alliance.

Shah arrived in Chennai on Saturday night as part of the BJP’s month-long campaign marking nine years of the Modi government at the Centre.

His arrival immediately kicked off a row, with the BJP accusing the state’s DMK government of security lapses after street lights went off near the Chennai airport after the home minister landed and was on his way to his hotel in Guindy.

Though Shah did not mention the incident during the rally, a BJP leader who asked not to be named said that he discussed it with Annamalai during the meeting in Chennai south.

“He (Shah) did think the street lights were purposely switched off but he told us not to worry about it,” said a BJP leader who was at the airport and the Chennai meeting. “He spoke to us about strengthening booth committees,” the person added.

The Union minister took up chief minister and DMK president MK Stalin’s challenge a day ago asking him to list the work the BJP has done for Tamil Nadu in nine years.

“If you have the courage, you can respond to me tomorrow,” Shah said, addressing Stalin, before he listed his government’s achievements.

“During the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) regime from 2004 to 2014, Tamil Nadu received ₹95,000 crore whereas the Modi-led Union government has given the state ₹2,47,000 crore in the last nine years,” he said. Shah also listed more than a dozen central projects and grants being implemented in Tamil Nadu such as two Vande Bharat Express trains, a new terminal for the Chennai airport, completion of 2,352 km of national highway and on-going construction of stretches of another 3,719km at a cost of ₹58,000 crore.

“Tamil Nadu had a Congress-DMK government for 10 years. Their government indulged in corruption and scams worth ₹12,000 crore. However, in nine years, no one levelled a single allegation of corruption against Modi ji’s government. Our government has enhanced and elevated India’s stature before the world,” he said.

DMK spokesperson A Saravanan lashed back at the home minister and said Shah’s tactics “which worked in his home town in Gujarat will not work in Tamil Nadu”.

“We already have several medical colleges which are on par with AIIMS. But BJP has to answer why they are not capable of completing it,” said Saravanan, referring to the branch of the institute that was inaugurated four years ago, but work on which has not progressed.