Madurai (Tamil Nadu) | Asserting his government’s resolve against corruption and nepotism, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday assured ‘justice’ against the country’s economic offenders and said his ‘stir’ against graft has prompted a grand alliance of opposition parties.
“Any person who has cheated or looted the country shall be brought to justice. This is regardless of whether he is in India or abroad,” he said at a BJP rally here.
The Prime Minister was apparently referring to economic offenders — Vijay Mallya, Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi who are wanted in connection with defaulting on huge bank loans. All of them are now abroad.
The union government was taking effective steps to rid the country of corruption and nepotism, he told the well-attended gathering.
“Any person who has cheated or looted the country shall be brought to justice. This is regardless of whether he is in India or abroad,” he said.
The union government’s effort against corruption has created a ‘stir’ from Chennai to Delhi, Modi said, adding all those who were used to making ‘different bills’ in government contracts and welfare schemes, “are now facing the music.”
Attacking the proposed ‘Mahagatbandhan’ of opposition parties that has vowed to dislodge him in the coming Lok Sabha polls, Modi said “that is why they are all coming together.”
“They say that keeping aside all other considerations they must unite to remove this watchman. However big a group they form, out of fear and negativity, Narendra Modi will stand firmly with the poor,” he said.
He urged the people of Madurai and the youth of Tamil Nadu to reject “these forces of negativity”.
Incidentally, MK Stalin-led DMK in Tamil Nadu has been playing an active role in the opposition grouping trying to take shape against the BJP-led NDA at the Centre.
Stalin had last month at a public rally here proposed Congress chief Rahul Gandhi as the Opposition’s Prime Ministerial candidate, though it found a lukewarm response from parties, including Samajwadi Party and the Trinamool Congress (TMC).
Earlier this month, he had also attended a mega rally in Kolkata helmed by West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee, which saw the participation of various opposition parties, but refrained from referring to Gandhi.
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