Tamil Nadu Assembly elections 2021: PM Modi attacks DMK, Congress over Jallikattu

Chennai, Apr 02: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday addressed an election rally in Tamil Nadu's Madurai and invoked MG Ramachandran's legacy, saying who can forget the film 'Madurai Veeran'.

Taking aim at Congress, which is contesting in the upcoming Tamil Nadu election 2021 in alliance with MK Stalin led DMK, PM Modi said, "In 1980 Congress dismissed MGR's democratically elected government, following which elections were called and MGR won from the Madurai West seat. The people of Madurai stood behind him like a rock."

"In 1977, 1980 and 1984, MGR won from southern Tamil Nadu," PM Modi recalled amid huge applause from the crowd. "South Tamil Nadu, and especially Madurai has a special association with MGR," he said.

"For Tamil Nadu and especially southern Tamil Nadu, we want to focus on developing the region by focussing on three pillars - Infrastructure, Irrigation and Investment," PM Modi said. It can be seen that the BJP is contesting the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections in alliance with the ruling AIADMK and PMK.

Slamming the DMK and the Congress over Jallikattu, the BJP star campaigner said both the parties keep portraying themselves to be the sole protectors of Tamil culture, but the facts suggest something else.

He recalled the 2011 incident when the then Congress-led UPA-II government, in which DMK was an alliance partner, imposed a ban on Jallikattu.

"I could sense their pain. Our Government then cleared an ordinance brought by the AIADMK Government in Tamil Nadu, which allowed Jallikattu to take place. In 2016 the Tamil Nadu Congress manifesto called for a ban on Jallikattu. Congress and DMK should be ashamed of themselves. In 2016-2017, the common people of Tamil Nadu wanted a solution and wanted Jallikattu to continue," PM Modi said.