Thanjavur (Tamil Nadu) [India], April 12 : Escalating his campaign against the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), Union Minister Piyush Goyal on Sunday called the ruling administration a "failed government" and accused it of widespread corruption as political tensions rise ahead of the assembly elections.
Addressing reporters in Thanjavur while campaigning for a BJP candidate, Goyal alleged that corruption has affected multiple sectors, including liquor trade, sand mining, land allotment, and government recruitment.
"The DMK government has failed on all accounts. It is full of corruption in liquor, sand mining, land allotment, every tender or contract, procurement of medicine...You cannot get a job in the Tamil Nadu government without paying cash for jobs. This government is a failed government," he alleged.
He expressed confidence that voters in Tamil Nadu would elect Edappadi K. Palaniswami as the next Chief Minister and remove the DMK from power.
Accusing the DMK-Congress alliance of neglecting farmers in Thanjavur, Goyal said the region, once known as the "rice bowl of Tamil Nadu", has suffered under the current government. He claimed that crops were damaged due to unseasonal rains and inadequate storage facilities.
"Once upon a time, this was called the rice bowl of Tamil Nadu. Our Annadatas, our farmers, work very hard. But under the Congress-DMK regime, their sweat has turned into tears. Their crops got destroyed due to unseasonal rains, and there was no storage capacity built by the state government, due to which 20 lakh tons of paddy were destroyed," he said.
He further alleged that the DMK had failed to fulfil its election promise of building grain warehouses in every union.
"They made a failed promise in the last election to have a grain warehouse in every union. Where are the grain warehouses? What has the DMK government done for the farmers?" he questioned.
The Minister also referred to the controversy surrounding the leak of Jana Nayagan, starring Vijay, and called for a probe into the matter.
"We should immediately file an FIR and conduct an investigation because clearly the same people used to criticise the delay in releasing Jana Nayagan. There is a saying in Hindi, 'Dal mein kuch kaala hai'... They will be exposed if an enquiry is held. They should immediately file an FIR. After all, thousands of films are coming out every year in India. How come this is the only film which got leaked? Other than the Producer, nobody else had the film," he said.
Goyal's visit aimed to support BJP candidate M Muruganandam, whom he described as a "veteran leader and a dedicated soldier" who has served the state for decades.
As part of its alliance with the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, the Bharatiya Janata Party is contesting 27 out of 234 seats in the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections scheduled for April 23, with counting on May 4.
The main contest is expected between the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance, which includes the Indian National Congress, DMDK, and VCK, and the National Democratic Alliance led by AIADMK with BJP and PMK as allies. Vijay, through his party TVK, is also set to make his electoral debut, which could turn the contest into a three-way fight.