In one of his most heavy duty election speeches ever, Narendra Modi proposed the concept of Team India, whereby the new Prime Minister would cooperate with all Chief Ministers regardless of party affiliation, proposed that States be grouped according to their special needs, attacked the corrosive rivalry between the AIADMK and DMK that hindered progress in Tamil Nadu, declared persons of Indian Origin the responsibility of the nation, and demanded special attention to the plight of fishermen along the nation’s massive coastline.
At a late evening rally at Chennai on Sunday, Narendra Modi first paid a courtesy call on cine star Rajinikanth, ostensibly to convey greetings for the Tamil New Year on April 14, which is also the birth anniversary of Dr BR Ambedkar, and greeted the people on the occasion of Mahavir Jayanti.
Claiming that the ongoing election is the harbinger of a new hope in the people, who want to boot out the UPA regime that has surpassed all records of corruption, he said the 2014 election would take the nation to the status we desire in the 21st century. The Congress-UPA, he said, neither accept the federal structure of the Constitution in letter and spirit, nor respect regional aspirations; for 60 years they have considered the States as subordinates, rather than as catalysts of growth.
Denouncing this one-party dominance mindset, the Gujarat leader said that as a four-term Chief Minister, he fully understood the aspirations of States and the pain of neglect by the Centre. Very soon, he promised, the nation would see for the first time a Government of India where persons of empathy come to power and create a new political culture of team work. This is the first time, he pointed out, that a pre-poll alliance of 25 political parties has been forged (by the NDA), and this spirit of cooperation will be witnessed in Tamil Nadu also. So far in the State, he said, the AIADMK and the DMK have been the only choice before the people; they take the people for granted, and their political work culture is to waste time trying to destroy the other side when in power, which leaves them no time to devote to the people. But this time, a third force would change the future of Tamil Nadu and make all political parties accountable, he asserted.
Uniformity cannot run a country as large and diverse as India, the BJP’s Prime Ministerial contender asserted, as different regions have different problems and priorities. That is why, he explained, the BJP-NDA has proposed groupings of States according to their needs, such as Himalayan, eastern, northeastern, desert and coastal. In the latter, he said, specially wooing Tamil Nadu and the southern states which have huge coastlines, port-led development in global economy is the way ahead.
Condemning the Government of India for ignoring the welfare of fishermen when India has a huge coastline and the use of modern technology can ensure it a place in the global market, Narendra Modi said the nation needed to be more responsive when fishermen got into trouble with Sri Lanka or Pakistan, or were killed by Italians in Kerala; a strong Government was needed to give them full protection and the freedom of the sea. The days when small nations like Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Pakistan can threaten India will soon be over, he pledged.
Mocking the Congress for the unwillingness of senior leaders to contest the election for fear of being routed, most notably the arrogant recounting minister (P Chidambaram), he said the Congress has been used to taking votes in the name of the poor at election time and forgetting them thereafter. The shehzade, he said, thinks of the poor as a tourism destination like the Taj Mahal and visits their homes with a bevy of photographers for a photo session, after which he eats their food for that day, and does no good for them because he has no understanding of poverty, does not know what it is like to sleep with an empty belly, having been born with a golden spoon in his mouth.
Having failed to fulfill the promise of their 2009 manifesto to create 10 crore jobs for youth, the Congress was recycling the old promise, he said, pointing out that Atal Bihari Vajpayee had created 7 crore jobs in just six years. The BJP-NDA, he pledged, would create new jobs for the youth of the nation and of Tamil Nadu. The time has come, he insisted, to get rid of the crippled regime at the Centre, and appealed for the victory of the BJP-NDA partners.
Rounding up his hour-long speech, Narendra Modi said that India will have to accept responsibility for the security and respect of all persons of Indian Origin abroad, regardless of their citizenship. He specifically mentioned persons of Tamil origin in Malaysia (whose Minister P Waythamoorthy met him in Gujarat some months ago). He is the first important national leader to raise the issue of persons who left India 100 to 150 years ago (most often as indentured labour). He demanded that the Prime Minister clarify reports that the UPA was working out a deal with Pakistan regarding the Siachen glacier.
Niticentral.com, 14 April 2014
http://www.niticentral.com/2014/04/14/in-chennai-modi-bats-for-more-power-to-states-211412.html