Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin joins opposition chorus over Adani issue, calls PM's parliament speech 'fool of rhetoric'

Hitting out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and governor RN Ravi, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Tuesday said he has learnt from the Prime Minister the art of speaking for hours without answering anyone's questions. Stalin was commenting on several questions raised by Congress MP Rahul Gandhi in parliament over relationship between businessman Gautam Adani and Prime Minister Modi, NDTV reported.

𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗻 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘀 𝗣𝗠'𝘀 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗲𝗰𝗵 '𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝗿𝗵𝗲𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗰'

"There are several allegations against the PM and the BJP government, but he hasn't responded to anything. He says the trust of the people is his protective shield. The people don't think so," CM Stalin said.

"Full of rhetoric," was how Stalin described the PM's speech, noting that there was no mention of either the BBC documentary (on the 2002 Gujarat riots) or the Adani issue (concerning allegations of stock manipulation by Adani group companies).

𝗤𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗿𝗮𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝗥𝗮𝗵𝘂𝗹 𝗚𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗵𝗶 '𝗴𝗲𝗻𝘂𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘃𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗱'

"Allegations against the Adani group are direct allegations against the BJP government at the Centre. Even a Supreme Court bench, led by the Chief Justice of India, is hearing the case seriously. Hence, there must be a discussion in the Parliament, and a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe needs to be ordered," the DMK chief said, joining the opposition chorus against the government over Adani issue.

Calling questions raised by Rahul Gandhi in the Parliament -- parts of his speech were expunged by the Speaker, leading to protests by the grand old party -- "genuine and valid", he said it was "shocking" that the PM did not say a word on the allegations.

𝗣𝗠 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗰𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗱 𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 '𝘃𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗮 𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘀': 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗻

Regarding the removal of Mr Gandhi's and Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge's comments from the parliamentary records, he stated that this did not imply that they could be erased from the public's memory. He labeled the PM's assertion that the Enforcement Directorate was unifying the Opposition as a self-incriminating statement.

"For the first time, a Prime Minister has accepted in the Parliament that he does vendetta politics against the Opposition. This does not bode well for the country. It's certainly not good for democracy," the Tamil Nadu CM said.

𝗣𝗠 𝗳𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗱𝗱𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗶𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗲𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗴𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗧𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹 𝗡𝗮𝗱𝘂: 𝗖𝗠

MK Stalin pointed out that the PM failed to address the DMK's inquiries regarding a variety of issues. These include the Sethusamudram shipping canal project, which has been on hold since 2007, and the DMK has requested the Centre to resume and execute it immediately. The issues also involve Presidential assent for a Bill seeking exemption from National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) for medical admission, states' rights, Tamil Nadu Governor's purported interference in the state government's operation, and the Governor's refusal to authorize the Bill banning online gambling.

"The PM did not address any of the issues concerning Tamil Nadu," he observed, highlighting that DMK members had brought up a number of significant questions. The Chief Minister remarked that the PM failed to list the promises he had fulfilled.

𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗲𝘀 𝗯𝗮𝗿𝗯𝘀 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗴𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗼𝗿 𝗯𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗴𝗮𝗺𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗹

Directing his criticism towards Governor RN Ravi, with whom the ruling party has been involved in a continuing dispute, he stated that the Governor showed disregard for the Bill that received unanimous approval in the state Assembly. He also noted that there had been four suicides in the past week due to individuals getting trapped in online gaming and questioned whether the Governor was unaware of them. He added that the Madras High Court had recommended enacting such legislation. He expressed his surprise that the Governor, who signed the ordinance, had not given his consent to the Bill for three months.