BJP has no concern for people, will go to any extent to occupy, retain power: Stalin

PUDUCHERRY: DMK president and Tamil Nadu chief minister M K Stalin accused the BJP-led NDA government of appointing retired IPS officers as governors and lieutenant governors of states and Union territories respectively to act against the Constitution of India.

Addressing a public meeting on Sunday seeking votes for the Congress candidate V Vaithilingam contesting from the Puducherry parliamentary constituency for the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls, Stalin pointed out that the former Puducherry lieutenant governor Kiran Bedi was running a parallel government in Puducherry during the previous Congress regime led by former chief minister V Narayanasamy.

Stalin pointed out that Bedi nominated three BJP functionaries as MLAs without the consent of the government elected by the people democratically and went on to the extent of administering the oath of office at Raj Nivas.

“Kiran Bedi acted against the Constitution of India. Likewise, Tamil Nadu has a governor (R N Ravi). We are suffering now. He is also a retired IPS officer. After police service, these people were appointed as governors and lieutenant governors (by the BJP-led NDA government) to act against the Constitution. BJP does not care about the people. BJP will go to any extent to occupy and retain power. BJP will reduce states like Tamil Nadu into a municipality and UTs like Puducherry into a gram panchayat and keep them under its control. It is BJP’s agenda. We are not only fighting to restore the rights of the states but also the rights of the Union territories,” he said.

Stalin accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has been in power for the past 10 years, of not seeking votes by outlining his achievements but by attempting to divide people on the lines of religion and caste.

“Modi does not speak about social justice and reservation. When the price of crude oil in the international market fell from 119 dollars to 29 dollars, the BJP-led NDA government did not reduce the price of petrol and diesel so that the public benefit from the reduction in price of crude oil. But only a few corporate companies yielded profits. The ruthless BJP regime that wants only a few corporates to make profit but not the common people must be thrown out,” he said.

Stalin said there was nothing to comment about the AIADMK party, which has fielded a candidate in Puducherry. “There is nothing to talk about AIADMK. It is simply waste,” he said.