Launching the podcast “Speaking For India,” MK Stalin accuses the BJP of being retaliatory towards opposition states in his inaugural speech

On Monday, M K Stalin, the chief minister of Tamil Nadu, accused the BJP-led federal government of seeking retribution against states that challenged it and eroding the independence of state governments.

He said in his opening remarks for the podcast series “Speaking for India” that the Centre was actively attempting to destroy the whole nation.

“The true India is one where social justice, secular politics, socialism, equality, social harmony, state autonomy, federalism, and unity in diversity flourish in all their grandeur. In his remarks, the DMK president referred to India as being unmatched.

“The current BJP-led Union government is nothing more than a retaliatory force ready to strike at the state governments that are hostile to it. They simply seek to undermine state governments’ sovereignty since they are directly in charge of ensuring the wellbeing of the populace, the man said.

According to him, the INDIA alliance would preserve the nation and the INDIA bloc was created to bring India back to its core strengths.

The INDIA alliance must succeed, Stalin said, referring to the initial rounds of consultations for the streamlining of the alliance held in Patna, Bangalore, and Mumbai. “If we want to prevent the whole of India from becoming Manipur and Haryana, which, unfortunately, fell victim to BJP’s communal politics, and hate-inciting policies, the INDIA alliance must win,” Stalin said.

Let’s create a diversified and multi-cultural India! Save India, please. Let’s speak for India first in this regard, he said, adding that “this will not only be the voice of M. K. Stalin but also the voice of INDIA. Make sure that everyone in India can hear me. India should be the true victor.

Stalin explained the goal of this podcast series by stating that he made the decision to talk as a common person who wants to represent India.

Every single one of us must speak up for India at this point, according to Stalin, whose DMK is the third-largest party in Parliament.

He said that the Bharatiya Janata Party was attempting to undermine India’s fundamental institutions and undermine the feeling of oneness that Indians have long treasured and defended.

The BJP, which took office in 2014, fell short of its pre-election promises, particularly in regards to the welfare programs for the general populace, such as recovering black money stashed abroad, depositing Rs. 15 lakh for every Indian, ensuring employment for 2 crore people annually, doubling farmers’ income, providing a home for every Indian, and growing the economy to USD 5 trillion.

There were several additional narratives fabricated that remained little more than tall tales. The DMK leader said that the Narendra Modi model, which came to power by lying about the Gujarat Model, is now going to finish with no substantial model to call their own. Soon, the BJP will have been in power for 10 years, and none of those promises have been kept.

Especially when we recounted the accomplishments of the Dravidian Model in Tamil Nadu with statistical support, he stated, “It has become a rudderless model, and there are no tall claims about the once-famous Gujarat model either.”

It was depressing to see how the Union administration was destroying India’s robust public sector. It was obvious that they were abusing their position to give their business associates control of the public sector. In his address, he said that airports and ports all throughout India were being taken over by private companies, reducing “the welfare of the entire country to the welfare of a few.”

The Chief Minister said that the BJP-led administration at the center used religion as a tool to mask all of its flaws, inflaming people’s religious feelings while savoring the warmth of its ferocious fires.

“In the state of Gujarat, the BJP planted the seeds of violence and hate in 2002. The northeastern state of Manipur burned in 2023 as a result of a sectarian fire that started there. In Haryana, the flames of religious fanaticism are destroying innocent people’s homes and taking their possessions. Nobody can preserve India and Indians if we don’t put a stop to this right now, according to Stalin.

When India’s diversity, federalism, or democracy were under danger, DMK was always in the forefront, leading the battle. He cited the late Chief Minister M Karunanidhi as stating that the DMK must function as a Tamil Nadu-based party that would always advocate for India. Both men agreed that the DMK should be used to lead the resistance to the unitary nature.

According to Stalin, the 2024 election is about more than just choosing who should rule; it is also about choosing who should not. Numerous destructive frauds that have damaged the states during the course of the BJP’s nine-year administration have occurred, and the GST has stripped the States of their financial rights. Tamil Nadu was denied financial independence.

The Union government ignored the states’ repeated demands to extend the GST compensation for a further two years. Tamil Nadu pays significant tax revenue to the Union Government each year. In addition, just 29 paise of every rupee in tax income collected to the Union Government was given back to the State.

The amount of taxes that TN paid to the Union Government from 2014 to 2017 was Rs. 5.16 lakh crore. But all we received in exchange, according to the Chief Minister, was Rs 2.8 lakh crore.