Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday slammed the Centre and said that the government doesn't respect Tamil culture. Rahul also launched a scathing attack on Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami and said the CM has been acting on the directions of the Centre and doesn't represent the state.
"He (CM) must not let Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) insult Tamil culture. Modi says '1 nation, 1 culture, 1 history'. Is Tamil not an Indian language? Is Tamil history not Indian or is Tamil culture not Indian? As an Indian, it's my duty to protect Tamil culture," Rahul said during a roadshow in Kanyakumari.
"The government in Delhi doesn't respect Tamil culture. They have a chief minister who does everything they say. [The] CM (E.K. Palaniswami) doesn't represent [the] state, he represents what Modi wants him to do. A person who bows only before Prime Minister Narendra Modi can't represent Tamil Nadu," he added.
On Saturday, Rahul had slammed the Centre, stating that it thinks it can control the people of Tamil Nadu. He'd even targeted Palaniswami and alleged that the CM is a corrupt leader.
The Tamil Nadu assembly elections will be held in a single phase on April 6, and the counting of votes will be done on May 2, the Election Commission of India announced on Friday.
Polls will be held for 234 seats in Tamil Nadu with the Congress-DMK and BJP-AIADMK alliance being the major groups contesting against each other.
(With inputs from agencies)
