Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], April 7 : Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Tuesday criticised Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis for linking the development of the Madurai Metro to the election of a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA.
Stalin's remarks came after Fadnavis, while filing the nomination of BJP candidate Rama Sreenivasan from Madurai ahead of the Tamil Nadu Assembly polls, claimed that the Metro project would reach the city only if the BJP candidate won.
Reacting to this, Stalin on X wrote, "Is it the job of the Maharashtra Chief Minister to bargain and blackmail by saying that a Metro will be provided to Madurai only if a BJP MLA is elected? A Chief Minister who has taken an oath on the Constitution should be ashamed to visit an opposition-ruled state and speak in such a manner."
The Tamil Nadu CM also highlighted the state's governance achievements, pointing out the contrast with Fadnavis' claims. "Does he know how many landmark projects the Tamil Nadu government is implementing despite the Union government's neglect in fund allocation? If not, he should find out the facts before speaking," Stalin added.
Referring to the state's economic performance under the DMK government, Stalin said, "Let it be remembered that it is Tamil Nadu, governed by the #DravidianModel, which has achieved double-digit economic growth, surpassing the 'junk-engine' states you boast about as 'Double Engine' states."
He shared a video on X in which, while filing the nomination of BJP candidate Rama Sreenivasan from Madurai ahead of the Tamil Nadu Assembly polls, Fadnavis said, "Once Rama Sreenivasan ji is elected as MLA, we will take him to honourable Prime Minister Narendra Modiji. And all of us know how much faith Modi ji has on this great city of Madurai. So I am sure that once Rama Sreenivasan ji reaches Modi ji, the metro will reach Madurai."
Fadnavis also commented on law-and-order issues, alleging a rise in child sex abuse and drugs in Tamil Nadu, and accused the DMK of colluding with criminals, claiming, "People see that there is a connivance between DMK and all these criminals. And that is why I think people will give the answer, and people will vote NDA."
The remarks come ahead of Tamil Nadu Assembly polls, which will be held in a single phase on April 23, with counting of votes scheduled for May 4.
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