Chennai, (Samajweekly) BJP President J.P. Nadda said on Thursday that Tamil Nadu is a unique mix of spiritualism and economic development.
Dressed in traditional Tami attire — white dhoti, shirt and angavastram — Nadda spoke at the `Namma Ooru Pongal Vizha’ (our city Pongal festival) organised by the party’s state unit and at the 51st anniversary function of Thuglak magazine held here.
Nadda said Tamil Nadu is the land of spiritualism with 63 Nayanmars and 12 Alwars hailing from this holy land. He said saints like Ramanuja and Tiruvalluvar were also from Tamil Nadu, adding that Tamil is the oldest language in the world.
Nadda said the state had famous kings and empires like the Cholas, Cheras, Pandyas and Pallavas who contributed immensely to its development.
According to Nadda, each district of the state had contributed towards the nation’s freedom struggle against the British and reeled out several names.
“We are proud that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been reciting Tamil poems in different parts of the world,” Nadda said.
He also informed that Modi has taken great interest in the development of Tamil Nadu.
The BJP President said the 13th Finance Commission during the UPA rule gave only Rs 94,000 crore to Tamil Nadu while the 14th Finance Commission under Modi’s rule has given about Rs 5,42,000 crore to the state.
Nadda said the people of the state have benefited immensely under various Central government schemes, including the Jan Dhan Yojana (94 lakh people from Tamil Nadu joined the scheme), while about 30 lakh gas connections have been given to the poor, 36 lakh LED bulbs have been distributed in the state, about Rs 50,000 crore has been distributed under the Mudra loan, besides the sanctioning of an AIIMS hospital and 11 medical colleges for the state.
According to Nadda, the defence corridor coming up in the state is the opening up of the economic corridor.
Nadda also praised Modi for leading the nation from the front in the fight against Covid-19. He said the country now has over 2,500 hospitals dedicated to Covid-19, and manufactures over five lakh PPE kits per day.
Nadda said that cooperative federalism is working well in Tamil Nadu with the state implementing the Central government’s pro-poor schemes.
Questioning the opposition parties over changing their stands with regard to the farmers’ issues, Nadda said that in their manifestoes, the opposition parties had said that contract farming would be legislated, and APMC would be abolished.
He said the opposition parties did not have the political courage to implement their promises but when the Modi government implemented the same, they are opposing that.
Nadda said the Modi government’s pro-poor policies have fetched poll victories for the BJP across the country, which show that people are with Modi.
Nadda also praised Thuglak founder and editor late Cho Ramaswamy for his righteousness which also got reflected in the magazine.
Earlier in the day, Nadda was given a rousing reception by the Tamil Nadu BJP unit at the airport.
