AIADMK most corrupt in India: Ahead of Tamil Nadu polls, Amit Shah mounts scathing attack on Jayalalithaa

Tiruchirappalli (TN): Mounting a scathing attack, BJP President Amit Shah on Wednesday accused the Jayalalithaa government of being the “most corrupt” in the country and asked the people to oust it in the 16 May Assembly elections. Addressing a press conference flanked by three Union ministers, including Power Minister Piyush Goyal, he also charged the state government with non-cooperation over implementation of central schemes including UDAY, aimed at helping debt-ridden state power discoms. Goyal had recently said that Chief Minister Jayalalithaa was “inaccessible” and criticised the state government for not joining the Centre’s UDAY scheme. [caption id=“attachment_2727770” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  A file photo of Amit Shah. Reuters[/caption] Projecting NDA as an alternative to AIADMK and DMK, Shah said, “The Narendra Modi government is committed to the welfare of villages, the poor and labour class. I am confident the people of Tamil Nadu will give priority to NDA in the polls.” “People should change this most corrupt government in India and give NDA a chance,” the BJP chief said in a sharp attack on Jayalalithaa whose AIADMK has extended issue-based support to the Modi government in Parliament. Shah, who will launch BJP’s campaign at a rally here later this evening, alleged that the Centre was facing problems in implementing many schemes in the state like UDAY. “UDAY, for instance, is meant to reach consumers but the Tamil Nadu government is not coming forward to implement it,” he said. Same was the case with the proposed AIIMS, he said in an apparent reference to the proposal to set up one of the units of the premier health institute in the state, but which is yet to take off. Shah also trained his guns at both DMK and AIADMK, besides Congress and charged them with corruption. “Whether it be 2G (DMK) or disproportionate assets case (AIADMK) Aircel-Maxis (DMK) or ED case against (son of Congress leader P Chidambaram) Karti, their top leaders face corruption cases. These show they did corruption when they were in power,” he said. However, there was no corruption charge against the two-year old Modi government, he said, adding that his party stood for development. The NDA will deliver on its development agenda in Tamil Nadu if voted to power, he said, alleging that sand and liquor mafia had exploited people under the Dravidian parties’ rule in the state. On whether an alliance with AIADMK was on cards earlier, he said BJP never expected the ruling party to propose a tie-up with it for elections. Even the AIADMK’s support to the NDA government in Parliament was “issue-based”, he said. Asked about the delay in constituting the Cauvery Management Board (CMB), Shah said BJP believed in taking all states along and favoured talks to arrive at a “consensus”. On the issue of fishermen being “attacked” and arrested by Sri Lankan Navy, he said his party-led government was committed to the welfare of the fishermen. He recalled that as soon as it came to power, the Modi government had acted and saved five fishermen from the gallows and brought them back home. Talks were on with Colombo to find a permanent solution to the vexed issue. “Fishermen no more face (Lankan navy’s) bullets,” he said. Earlier, Shah met party candidates for the 16 May polls, besides those of other NDA constituents IJK and Akila Indiya Makkal Kalvi Munnetra Kazhagam. He expressed hope that his party will put up a good show despite lack of erstwhile allies like DMDK.