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Bharatiya Janata Party National President Shri Jagat Prakash Nadda participated in holly and great festival of Pongal “Namma Ooru Pongal” organized by BJP West Chennai District at Maduravoyil, Chennai (Tamil Nadu) on 14 January. He also addressed the gathering on this occasion and hailed the great culture and tradition of Tamil Nadu.
Earlier, Shri Nadda accorded the grand welcome by party karyakartas on his arrival at Chennai airport. He was welcomed by BJP state unit president Sh L. Murugan, the party’s national general secretary CT Ravi and other senior party leaders and karyakartas.
Shri Nadda said that this is a festival of farmers who have taken care of us and the whole country celebrates it. However, it has special meaning in Tamil Nadu. On this bounteous occasion, May happiness comes to you in all abundance. May Pongal fill your life with sweetness! May God bless you with peace, prosperity, and happiness in your life on Pongal and always!
Tamil Nadu has a rich culture and it is a place of ‘bhakti’. It is a place where religious sentiments have been taken care of by religious leaders. It is a land of saints where I bow to the sages who’ve contributed to humanity. He said, “Tamil Nadu has been the guiding force for the light of our nation for centuries. It’s a unique mix of economic development with religious sentiments and culture.”
The BJP President said that Our Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi ji highlighted Tamil Nadu and its poets at the United Nations and different parts of the world and country. This is the pride and love he has for this state with rich culture and heritage.
Hailing the efforts of the Modi government for the development of Tamil Nadu, Shri Nadda said that Modi Ji has contributed and tried to see to it that the whole country goes forward but at the same time, he’s also made sure that Tamil Nadu takes a big leap as far as development is concerned.
Comparing allocation of funds during Congress-led UPA government and the current Modi govt, he said, The 13th Finance Commission during UPA-II gave Rs 94,000 crore to Tamil Nadu. The 14th Finance Commission under PM Modi gave the state an astronomical Rs 5.42 lakh crore for development. The Central govt has allotted Rs 1600 crore for the development of textiles and its industry, which finds a special place in Tamil Nadu. This is Aatmanirbhar Bharat, with an idea of ‘vocal for local’, he added.
Shri Nadda said, During COVID, PM Modi sent directly to 20 crore women Rs 1500 each for three months, giving a mighty example of women empowerment. 8 crore women were also given gas connections. Approx 36 lakh LED bulbs were distributed in Tamil Nadu under the UJALA scheme. The defence corridor that starts from Chennai – Coimbatore is also an economic corridor, will bring more jobs and opportunities to the youth of the state. Rs 2,875 crore is being spent on Chennai Metro and Rs 3,267 crore is being spent on Monorail in the state. Under the AWAS Yojana, 5.36 lakh houses have been constructed for the poor. 11 medical colleges & an AIIMS have been given to Tamil Nadu by the Modi government. Practically, every 3 Lok Sabha constituencies will now have at least one medical college. PM Modi has been involved in a lot of development work in Tamil Nadu.
Shri Nadda said, “It is the BJP where the scientific development is taking place and thus, people from different walks of life are joining us.” We invite everybody and we’ve to make sure that we as a mainstream party keep walking ahead in the state, he further said. We are committed for the development of Tamil Nadu in the leadership of our Honourable Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi ji.