DMK-Cong has launched '2G missile' to insult women: Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday accused the DMK and its ally Congress of insulting the women of Tamil Nadu, referring to A Raja’s recent comment against Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami and his mother – a comment for which the DMK leader later apologised.

At a public meeting in Dharapuram, Tirupur district, where the BJP’s state chief, L Murugan, is contesting, Modi said the opposition UPA had launched a new missile called ‘2G’ that targets women (Raja was telecom minister in the Manmohan Singh government and an accused in the 2G scam.).

“The DMK and the Congress have insulted the mother of Tamil Nadu’s chief minister. God forbid if they come to power they will insult many more women of Tamil Nadu,” the PM said.

“I want to tell the DMK and Congress from Dharapuram, please control your party leaders. The people here will never forget your insults.”

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Modi said that, unlike the NDA, which has a development agenda, the UPA “has nothing positive to tell. They just spread lies. The UPA has launched a 2G missile targeting women… If they come to power, they will insult many other women”.

Insulting women is part of the opposition’s culture, he added.

“Don’t forget how DMK leaders treated [the late] Jayalalithaa in the Tamil Nadu assembly,” Modi said, adding that the NDA had been inspired by the thoughts of Tamil poet-saints Andal and Avvaiyar.

“A society cannot progress without empowering its women. Increased toilet coverage under Swachh Bharat Mission has helped women. We said houses built under the Awas Yojana should be in the name of women.”

The PM said AIADMK’s alliance with the BJP will bring greater opportunities for people in Dharapuram and the state.

“People here have been demanding a railway link for a long time. We will fulfil that demand once we return to power. I feel happy to be here, in one of the oldest cities in Tamil Nadu. The Agatheeswarar Temple here has attracted devotees from all over the world. The city has given great men such as Tirupur Kumaran, Dheeran Chinnamalai and Kalingarayan. India is proud of Tamil culture. We want to promote Tamil culture and language.”

The PM promised that the Centre would do everything to help the MSME sector in the state.

In his speech, EPS listed out development projects in Tirupur.

“Around Rs5,200 crore worth of roads have been laid under the National Highways Authority of India and we have taken up many water resources projects, like the Athikkadavu-Avinashi scheme. All these have been done with the help of Modi,” he said.