Chennai : DMK leader M.K.Stalin Tuesday said the growth achieved by Tamil Nadu is due to his “daddy” (party chief and former chief minister) M.Karunanidhi and not because of a “lady”, making many smile on a day when curtains came down on electioneering.
Addressing an election rally at Pudukottai around 375 km from here, Stalin said it is neither (BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra) Modi nor the lady (Chief Minister J.Jayalalithaa) but his father who would argue and fight for and secure the people their rights.
Tamil Nadu’s growth is not due to a lady but because of his daddy, he said, giving a new twist to the “Lady vs Modi” fight.
The Bharatiya Janata Party leaders here have been saying that Jayalalithaa cannot be Modi when it comes to governance.
Modi, while campaigning in the state, charged both the AIADMK and the DMK of taking people for granted.
The BJP leader also made fun of the power shortage in Tamil Nadu, saying a 12-year-old boy from Gujarat would not understand why there is a power cut when he comes to Tamil Nadu. He added there are no outages in Gujarat.
In response, Jayalalithaa Monday reeled of several statistics pertaining to human development index that are favourable to Tamil Nadu and said it is this woman from Tamil Nadu who gives better governance than Gujarat’s Modi.
Meanwhile Jayalalithaa and Karunanidhi appealed to the voters through statements.
In her statement, Jayalalithaa listing out her government’s achievements in the state and the misdeeds of the Congress and the DMK parties appealed to the voters to cast their votes in her AIADMK’s favour.
Appealing to the first time voters in the state, she said the younger generation should realise the importance of their vote and cast it in favour of her party.
In his letter to the party cadre. Karunanidhi urged them to be on vigil as April 24 – the polling day – is the harvest day for votes for the party.
Coming down heavily on the AIADMK government for stalling infrastructure and other developmental projects in the state and the garbage pile up here Karunanidhi urged the DMK’s polling agents to be careful.