Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Friday said that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) believes that Tamil Nadu should be run from Nagpur (i.e. by Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), but Congress believes that Tamil Nadu should be run by Tamil people.
“2019 election is a fight between two visions of India. The BJP says that only one idea, one history, one culture should be imposed on India. On the other side, we say that there are many different voices in this country. BJP believes that Tamil Nadu should be run from Nagpur. They believe that the PMO should decide the destiny of the Tamil people. We believe that Tamil Nadu should be run by Tamil people,” Gandhi said while addressing a public meeting in Salem, Tamil Nadu.
Other highlights from his speech are:
- We believe in respecting the Tamil language. We believe that respecting the history of the Tamil people is fundamental to build a strong India
- Karunanidhiji was not an ordinary person. He represented the voice of the Tamil people. When the BJP insulted Karunanidhiji, they were insulting the voice of the Tamil people
- People in Tamil Nadu told us about a young Tamil girl called Anitha who was forced to commit suicide because of NEET. There is a line in our manifesto that it will be up to the states to decide whether they want the NEET or not
- We believe in listening to people, and we believe that through conversations, we can get solutions to our problems. Mr. Narendra Modi or the BJP do not believe in conversations
- With Demonetisation, Modi destroyed the textile hub in Tirupur. He destroyed the silk capital of the country, Kanchipuram. He destroyed the manufacturing backbone of Tamil Nadu. Did he ask anyone before doing this?
- When Tamil farmers are protesting at Jantar Mantar, Modi has got not even a word to say. They had to take off their clothes, and still, he didn’t have to say a word. But he hugs every single corrupt businessman
- Modi gave us Gabbar Singh Tax. Weavers have to pay tax if they want to buy thread or printing material. The moment we come to power, we are going to remove Gabbar Singh Tax and give you a real GST
- We are going to do a surgical strike on poverty. DMK and Congress together are going to wipe out poverty from Tamil Nadu. If Modi can give thousands of crores to Anil Ambani, we can do the same for the poor people
- NYAY is a revolutionary step as it is for the first time that a government of any nation has decided to take a similar step. India will be showing the direction to other countries in the world
- Women of Tamil Nadu, you are India’s strength. But we don’t see enough of you in the Vidhan Sabha or Lok Sabha. We are committed to giving you 33% reservation in the Assemblies and the Lok Sabha, and also in central government jobs
- We have a new idea in the manifesto for the young entrepreneurs of TN. When you want to start a business, you won’t have to take permission from any govt depts. for 3yrs. Take permission once your business is established
- Unemployment is at a 45-year-high. We will fill the 22 lakh government vacancies and create 10 lakh jobs in the Panchayats