Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made an offer to the people of Tamil Nadu. “If the income of the farmers and fishermen is to be doubled by 2022, the 75th anniversary of Indian Independence, you have to vote for BJP in the 2016 Assembly election. The fate of the State lies on your index fingers. If you press the lotus symbol, the right button to a bright future, the floodgates of development will be opened and Tamil Nadu will see a progress which it has not seen in the last fifty years,” Modi told the thousands who had gathered to hear him speak at the coastal town of Vedaranyam in Nagapattinam district.
The Prime Minister wound up his election campaign in Tamil Nadu with a 35 minutes speech during which he explained to the voters some of the innovative schemes introduced by his Government for the inclusive growth of the people.
Modi began his speech by telling the audience that he was the first ever Prime Minister of the country to visit Vedaranyam, which had many cultural and historical significances. “It was here C Rajagopalachari, the great freedom fighter and first Governor-General of independent India launched the Salt Satyagraha in 1930 to express solidarity with Mahatma Gandhi’s Salt Satyagraha at Dandi,” Modi reminded the people of the State.
The Prime Minister, who did not name any rival of the BJP, told the people that the last fifty years saw two parties ruling Tamil Nadu alternatively between themselves. “The development of Tamil Nadu has come to a standstill because of this alternate governance. Now, you have a Government at the Centre which shares your happiness and sorrow with you. It is time you gave the BJP a chance to rule Tamil Nadu and take the State and its people in the path of development and progress,” said Modi.
Explaining the innovative and state-of-the-art schemes for farmers and fishermen launched by the NDA Government at the Centre, Modi said the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Yojana was a pioneer scheme of its kind ever launched in the country for the benefit of farmers. “Farmers stand to get security and insurance for their crops from any kind of natural disasters. This is the first scheme of its kind, a Sampoorna Suraksha scheme for the farmers. The uniqueness of the scheme is that it has been designed taking into consideration the past experience,” said the Prime Minister.
Since the coastal town has a considerable population of fishermen, the Prime Minister dwelt at length on the schemes launched by his Government for them. “The Prime Minister’s Mudra Yojana can help you in a big way to opt for deep sea fishing. If any five fishermen could approach the nationalised banks as a team, they would get loans and financial assistance to purchase new mechanised boats for deep sea fishing,” said the Prime Minister.
More than that of a politician, the speech resembled that of a corporate sales manager selling the people schemes and measures specially designed for their development. “Wherever there are BJP Governments in India, those States are on fast tracks of development. Don’t you want such a Government in Tamil Nadu too,” he asked the audience which replied in the affirmative in unison.
Modi asked the audience whether they got uninterrupted power supply and safe drinking water to which they replied in the negative. “The dreams of the poor are limited. They need three square meals a day, safe drinking water, a small house to stay and educational facilities for their children. The BJP will give you all more than these things,” said Modi.