While the achievement rate was 26 per cent in Tamil Nadu, it was 54 per cent in his state, he added. Heaping praise on former President Abdul Kalam, who was born in this town, Modi described him as a “great son of India” and lauded his contribution to space science.
“He was not a just great scientist but also a visionary. I am proud that it was (former Prime Minister A B ) Vajpayee who recognized this gem of India; together they did wonders,” he said.
Continuing his tirade against Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi, whom he once again described as ‘Shehzada' (the Prince), Modi questioned the former's notion of poverty, saying he was ‘born with a golden spoon,' and claimed that he hailed from a ‘poor, backward family.'
Making good use of Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar's ‘tea-boy' jibe, Modi said he had risen to his present day stature selling tea in his young days.
Seeking to address the concerns of fisherfolk, especially those from Rameswaram in the district, he blamed the ‘weak' Central Government for the harassment of fishermen from Tamil Nadu and Gujarat by navies of Sri Lanka and Pakistan respectively.
He also promised steps for promoting tourism in this district besides modernising the fishing industry among others by providing technology-driven information on fish wealth which would help them return home quickly like their Gujarat counterparts.
He said BJP-led NDA in Tamil Nadu had emerged as an “able, reliable front” to DMK and AIADMK, which he alleged were keen on settling personal scores only. Earier, addressing a rally in Erode, he took a dig at former Union Environment Minister Jayanthi Natarajan and without naming her, said a woman Congress leader from the state was responsible for delaying many infrastructural projects in the country including in Tamil Nadu.
To boost the turmeric industry in Erode, he pledged BJP's efforts to set up Research and Development Centre for the same and make turmeric a value-added product.
