Tamil Nadu, “which is badly in need of an independent Chief Minister”, will have such a leader after the Assembly election to guide it towards progress, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said here on Monday
Winding up his three-day campaign in the southern districts of the State in Kanniyakumari, Mr. Gandhi said the “corrupt” Chief Minister, who was bowing his head in front of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, should do so only in front of the people of the State.
Having been coerced by Central agencies “for being corrupt”, Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami had to bow his head in front of Mr. Modi even though he was “insulting” Tamil culture, the language, tradition, etc., the Congress leader said.
“The Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu should not be controlled by anyone else, including the Prime Minister. I, as an Indian, have the duty of protecting the culture of all Indian languages, its tradition and its culture. Hence, I will also protect Tamil culture, its tradition and its history,” Mr. Gandhi said.
The new Chief Minister (after the Assembly election) would revive the State’s glory, including the small and marginal industries that had been destroyed by demonetisation and GST, he said.
After starting the day’s campaign at Kanniyakumari, Mr. Rahul visited the memorial of the party’s late Lok Sabha MP, H. Vasanthakumar, at Agastheeswaram. He paid floral tributes to the late leader and consoled his family members.
“Mr. Vasanthakumar stood like a rock despite being threatened by the Central agencies and served the party. Moreover, he helped thousands of students with scholarships,” Mr. Gandhi said.
Though a boat rally had been planned at Thaengaaipattinam, it was cancelled as officials from the Fisheries and the Police Department said the mandatory “stability certificate” for the platform created by tying together three fiberglass boats for hosting the event was not obtained.
