Madurantakam (Tamil Nadu) [India], January 23 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday urged women to vote for the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the next Tamil Nadu assembly polls, questioning women's safety under the DMK government.
Addressing a NDA rally in Madurantakam in Tamil Nadu's Chengalpattu district, PM Modi said that former Chief Minister J Jayalalitha worked to control crime in the state, and the NDA government will ensure women's safety.
"The worst impact of crime can be seen on women. Selvi J Jayalalitha worked to control crime, but today, women feel unsafe. I urge women to bring the NDA government, which will ensure your safety. Women's convenience and health are priorities for the NDA. We have made more than 60 lakh toilets."
The BJP and AIADMK will contest the Assembly elections under the banner of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) as they look to defeat the DMK-led coalition.
Giving "Modi's guarantee", the Prime Minister said, if voted to power, the NDA will ensure water from taps in each household in the state. "You bring in the NDA government, every household in the state will have water from the taps; this is Modi's guarantee."
Further, he accused the DMK government of allowing drug mafias in the state.
"To build a Viksit Bharat, the youth and women's empowerment (nari shakti) play a crucial role. However, in Tamil Nadu, the government has failed in this regard, allowing drug abuse and the drug mafia to endanger our young people. Mothers are deeply concerned for their children, and parents are witnessing the destruction of their children's lives. The drug mafia is specifically targeting schools and colleges, exacerbating the crisis," the Prime Minister said.
He added that the Centre has provided Rs 3 lakh crore to Tamil Nadu, accusing the Congress and DMK coalition of indulging in scams.
"In the past 11 years, the NDA central government has done unprecedented work for the development of Tamil Nadu. Before 2014, when the DMK-Congress coalition government was in Delhi, very little funds were allocated for Tamil Nadu's development. In the past 11 years, the central NDA government has provided nearly Rs 3 lakh crore to Tamil Nadu just through transfers. This is about three times more than what was given by the Congress-DMK coalition government in comparison to the work they did at the centre. In the past 11 years, crores of rupees in assistance have been received from the centre for the welfare of the people of Tamil Nadu; otherwise, during the Congress-DMK coalition rule, there were only scams in the name of welfare for the poor, SC, ST, and OBC," he said.
Tamil Nadu polls are due in the first half of this year, with the opposition NDA looking to defeat the DMK-led alliance. Actor-turned-politician Vijay's Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) is also seeking to throw out the DMK government.