AIADMK has surrendered to BJP: Rahul Gandhi in Tamil Nadu

Coimbatore: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday launched a sharp attack on the AIADMK leadership, alleging that the regional party had surrendered to BJP due to corruption and was now functioning as a gateway for the national party's expansion in Tamil Nadu.

He addressed three public meetings in southern Tamil Nadu's Kanniyakumari, Tirunelveli and Thoothukudi. The leader of Opposition spoke of how the AIADMK played a historic role in Tamil Nadu's progress and had leaders who truly represented its people. But he said the landscape today had changed. "Today, it (AIADMK) is a hollow shell, reduced to an instrument of BJP. Its leadership has surrendered due to corruption," he said. He added that Tamil Nadu should be governed by its own people, in line with the principles of decentralised governance. "People of each state should govern themselves," he said. "But BJP does not think like this. It believes in one tradition, one language and one history."

Gandhi also made it a point to call himself a 'soldier in Delhi', he said, "DMK, Congress, and our alliance stands united to defend Tamil language, culture, and history from the BJP-RSS." Gandhi also targeted the ideological influence of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). "The BJP-RSS hate the Dravidian idea because they know that Tamils can challenge them. They know that the brave Tamil people will resist and will never surrender. That is why they are now trying a new route through the AIADMK," he said.