Union Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman today dismissed the charge that the Centre was meting out step motherly treatment to non-BJP ruled states, saying the Modi government was cooperating with all states for their development.
The Narendra Modi government wanted to take the country on developmental path and for this all the states should be developed, she told reporters here responding to a question about the charge by opposition parties.
There was no truth in the allegation and the NDA government was cooperating with all the states, she said.
Nirmala, who was here to campaign for BJP candidates contesting the May 16 Tamil Nadu assembly elections, said she would not commit anything on tea prices or problems of Small and Medium Enterprises, since it will be against Model Code of Conduct in force in view of elections.
She accused both the DMK and AIADMK of failure to work for the benefit of the people despite ruling the state for the last 50 years.
The Minister said BJP would implement total prohibition if voted to power.
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Addressing an election rally in Coimbatore, Nirmala said it was the duty of Congress now to respond to the questions raised by BJP president Amit Shah about the AugustaWestland bribery controversy.
"Shah has raised four questions about the deal and bribe and sought a reply from the Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, but the party is yet to respond to them," she said.
She hit out at the DMK and AIADMK for what is described as "stagnation of growth in Tamil Nadu."
Global Investors Meet conducted by the state government was a flop, as no person had come forward to set up industries due to acute power shortage, she alleged.
She accused both the Dravidian parties of being corrupt and alleged that successive governments had failed to provide quality infrastructure, education and jobs to youths.
Claiming that growth was visible in areas, where BJP candidates were elected in the country, Nirmala appealed to the voters to give a chance for the party in the state by which Tamil Nadu will be a front runner in India.
