Nothing Will Happen By Changing Name: Amit Shah Slams Opposition Front

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday slammed the Congress and its allies, including the DMK, saying nothing would happen by changing the name of their alliance to INDIA.

He was addressing a rally here, ahead of kick-starting Tamil Nadu BJP President K Annamalai's state-wide 'En Mann, En Makkal (My Land, My People)' padayatra.

"When Congress and its allies, including the DMK, go to the people seeking votes, the public would remember the corruption, including the 2G scam and CommonWealth Games scam during the UPA regime, " he said.

"Congress-DMK and allies opposed the removal of Art 370; is Kashmir ours or not," he asked.

Taking forward Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Tamil pitch, he said PM Modi honoured Tamil culture by installing the 'sengol' in the new parliament building.

The senior BJP leader hit out at the DMK regime, calling it the most corrupt in the nation and said the BJP's yatra is an attempt to usher in politics of development and good governance in Tamil Nadu.

Mr Shah named Congress and its allies one by one, including the DMK, Trinamool Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT), and accused them all of trying to empower their families and not the nation.

"Sonia Gandhi wants to make her son Rahul the Prime Minister, M K Stalin wants to make his son Udhayanidhi the Chief Minister." 

The BJP top leader also criticised West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, RJD leader Lalu Prasad Yadav and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray as leaders who desired to see their heirs in leadership positions.

"However, PM Modi is the only leader who is working for the nation's development," he said.

Mr Shah also raised the issue of an accused person who is in jail continuing as a minister in Tamil Nadu. "Stalin should be ashamed of retaining V Senthil Balaji, arrested in an Enforcement Directorate case and in jail, in the cabinet," the union minister said.

"Can a person in jail continue as a minister," he asked. "Should Senthil Balaji not have resigned? Even if Senthil Balaji resigns, Stalin will not accept it because he is afraid that all secrets will be disclosed." Mr Shah said a single tweet of BJP state chief Annamalai has rattled the DMK regime, a reference to the state BJP leader's allegations of corruption vis-a-vis the 'DMK Files'.

"Imagine what will happen when Annamalai takes the yatra across the state," he asked.

Mr Shah later flagged off the 'En Mann, En Makkal' padayatra alongside state BJP president K Annamalai. The yatra, which will go on for six months, marks the start of BJP's poll campaign ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha election.

The yatra will cover all 234 assembly constituencies in the State.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)