NEW DELHI: BJP leader Tamilisai Soundararajan criticized Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin on Sunday for not welcoming Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to the state and accused him of using language-based politics to mislead people.
The criticism came as Modi inaugurated the new Pamban Rail Bridge, India’s first vertical lift sea bridge, and performed rituals at the Ramanathaswamy temple in Rameswaram.
Soundararajan highlighted Modi’s recent visit to Sri Lanka, where he addressed fishermen’s issues.
“Prime Minister Modi returned from Sri Lanka after resolving the fishermen’s issues and ensuring such problems don’t arise again,” said Soundararajan.
She expressed disappointment over Stalin’s absence during Modi’s visit to Tamil Nadu.
“The chief minister should have welcomed him. But instead, he went to relax in Ooty. Was it necessary? When the Prime Minister visits Tamil Nadu, should the chief minister be on vacation in Ooty? The chief minister deliberately chose to relax in Ooty instead of welcoming the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister has embraced and promoted Tamil culture. He clearly stated that political leaders in Tamil Nadu should get used to signing in their own language and using Tamil names. Language-based politics can no longer mislead people. Let the chief minister keep crying–he’ll continue to cry in 2026 too…”
Soundararajan contrasted Stalin’s claims with Modi’s contributions to the state.
“The chief minister claimed that he gave nothing to the people of Tamil Nadu during his Ooty trip. But at the same time, the Prime Minister gave Tamil Nadu development projects worth Rs 8,000 crore. Someone who is about to be knocked out is talking about the dugout,” she said.
She drew parallels between Stalin’s behavior and that of former Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao.
“When Prime Minister Modi brought good schemes to Telangana, CM K Chandrashekar Rao boycotted him. In return, the people of Telangana boycotted him in the election. In the same way, if the Tamil Nadu chief minister continues to ignore the Prime Minister, the people of Tamil Nadu will definitely ignore him, too. The Prime Minister, who said he would stand by the Tamil people in every way, was not welcomed by the chief minister, which shows a lack of concern…”
During his visit, Prime Minister Modi inaugurated the new Pamban Rail Bridge, flagged off a train and a ship from the road bridge, and witnessed the bridge’s operation. He also visited the Ramanathaswamy temple at Rameswaram for darshan and pooja.