DMK, Cong don't respect women: Modi

Madurai (TN): PRIME Minister Narendra Modi on Friday launched yet another blistering attack on the DMK and Congress, charging that their leaders "keep insulting women", while pointing out that the NDA schemes are aimed at empowering women.

Addressing an election rally here seeking votes for NDA candidates including from ally AIADMK for the April 6 Assembly polls, Modi said the late Chief Minister M G Ramachandran's vision for inclusive development and prosperous society "inspires us." Lashing out at the DMK and Congress, he said they had no agenda to talk about and alleged that the two parties, facing polls as allies, will not guarantee either safety or dignity for the people while the law and order situation will "suffer" under them. "I understand that DMK and Congress have no real agenda to talk about but they should control their lies because people are not fools," he said. Modi said Madurai teaches about empowering 'nari shakti' (women power) and referred to the reverence and respect shown to local deity Meenakshi Amman and popular names associated with the region like Kannagi Amman, Rani Mangammal and Velu Nachiyar.

Many schemes of the NDA including the Ujjwala were aimed at empowering women. "Our efforts in the Swachch Bharat mission, Ujjwala Yohana and other such schemes are aimed at empowering women. Sadly, the DMK and Congress have not understood the ethos of Madurai. No wonder their leaders keep insulting women again and again," he said without naming anyone.

DMK leader A Raja had earlier courted controversy for making alleged disparaging remarks against Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami's mother during an election rally, drawing criticism. Taking note of a complaint from the ruling AIADMK, the Election Commission had on Thursday barred Raja from campaigning for 48 hours and also removed him from his party's list of star campaigners for the polls. Further targeting the DMK, Modi alleged it tried to make the peace-loving Madurai a "mafia den" due to family issues earlier, referring to the then squabble in the party's first family involving brothers MK Stalin and MK Alagiri. "DMK and Cong will not guarantee either safety or dignity for you. The law and order situation will suffer under them. DMK tried to make a peace-loving Madurai a mafia den just because of family complications in DMK first family," Modi said.

Slamming DMK and Congress over the bull taming sport jallikattu, Modi said it was banned in 2011 by the Congress- led UPA, with the Dravidian party being in "big ministries" at the Centre. "Congress and DMK keep showing themselves to be the only protectors of Tamil culture but fact suggests something else."

"In 2011, the UPA was in power and DMK was in big ministries. Same UPA government banned jallikattu. One UPA leader described jallikattu as a barbaric practice. Really? Is that the word you use for something that is part of the Tamil culture for centuries," Modi asked.

He recalled the TNCC's poll promise in 2016 calling for a ban on jallikattu and said "Congress and DMK should be ashamed of themselves." When in 2016-17 the people of Tamil Nadu wanted a solution and wanted jallikattu to continue, "I could sense their pain," Modi said. "Our government cleared an ordinance brought by the AIADMK government for jallikattu to take place," he said.