COIMBATORE: From Latur to Mysuru to Coimbatore, Prime Minister Narendra Modi campaigned across the country on Tuesday, raising a wide range of issues. While he asked first-time voters in Latur to remember Pulwama victims and Balakot air strike when they set out to vote, in Mysuru he blamed the Congress for speaking the language of Pakistan.
In Coimbatore, he switched gears to gender empowerment. He asked how the DMK could protect women in the State when they had mistreated former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa. “The NDA government, on the other hand, has announced several measures like the Ujwala scheme, for women,” he said, starting his address in Tamil.
Addressing the public, he blamed Communists and Congress for destroying culture in Kerala. “They are politicising the Sabarimala issue for votes,” he said. “The BJP will continue to stand with the culture of Kerala and its people,” he said. The DMK combine has fielded veteran Communist leader PR Natarajan in Coimbatore.
Addressing the small traders, Modi said his party would support the MSME sector. “We reduced GST thrice based on the requests from MSME sector. We have also simplified the process. We have released subsidies worth Rs 7,000 crore to weavers to upgrade their machinery. About 2 lakh power looms have been upgraded of which 60 per cent are in Tamil Nadu,” he said.Modi also recalled the 1998 bomb blasts that rocked Coimbatore, saying “the city had experienced terror attack in the past”.
Under NDA, price rise under control, says Modi
“NATIONALISM” remained the main plank of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s election rally in Coimbatore on Tuesday. “It’s because of nationalism that every family in the country now has a bank account,” he claimed. “It’s nationalism that made us launch the Ayushman Bharat scheme, which covers 50 crore Indians,” he said.
Modi claimed the middle class would be forced to pay high taxes if the Congress comes to power. “Under the NDA, price rise is under control. Under Mudra scheme, loans up to Rs 1 crore are available within 59 minutes, which is equal to the time taken to reach Chennai from Coimbatore” Modi claimed.
Modi said, “India can only realise its true potential if security concerns are addressed. The NDA government has attached top priority to the defence sector. In our vision for a secure India, Tamil Nadu has a special role. This is one of the States where a modern defence corridor will come up, making India self-sufficient in defence production.”He alleged that India faced far more terror attacks when the Congress was in power.
Attacks Congress manifesto
Modi attacked the Congress manifesto, calling it as a document in favour of “anti-India forces”. “I was shocked to read it. It will make terrorists happy. I was not surprised when I found it was prepared by former finance minister P Chidambaram, who heads their manifesto panel,” Modi said.