India / I've come to help, not tell you my 'Mann ki Baat': Rahul Gandhi in TN

Chennai: Beginning his campaign for Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu, which are slated to be held in May, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, on Sunday, 24 January, attacked the BJP government in the Centre, accusing them of insulting Tamil culture, and of subjecting the state to poor policies.

“The people of Tamil Nadu are struggling because of the policies of the BJP and the policies of the state government. I have come here to help. You are all aware of the relationship that my family shares with the state, the love that Indira ji and my father received from this state. I am indebted to you for all this love and affection,” he said.

According to HT, the Congress leader also said that he has come to the state to listen to the people of Tamil Nadu, their grievances, and not to tell them his 'Mann ki Baat'. According to NDTV, Gandhi further pointed out how schemes like demonetisation and GST had crippled the people of the state.

Speaking at a rally in Erode district of western Tamil Nadu, Rahul Gandhi, according to NDTV, said:

“The centre has no respect for Tamil language and Tamil culture. I am not going to allow Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP to disrespect Tamil people.”

Alleging that demonetisation, GST, and fuel price hike have ‘crippled the people of Tamil Nadu’, Gandhi, according to NDTV, said:

“The country is in the hands of five or six businesspeople (and) they think that if they control the state government, they can control the Tamil people. But this is not true.”

Gandhi landed in Coimbatore on Saturday. He also reportedly met textile industry representatives in Chennai and spoke to them about the current tax system, and its crippling impact on MSMEs.