Congress parliamentarian Manickam Tagore unleashed a blistering attack on the NDA on Saturday in Madurai, likening their much-touted ‘double engine’ governance in Tamil Nadu to a wrecked machine beyond repair. ‘Talk of double or triple engines is meaningless if they’ve already failed,’ he quipped, predicting no electoral success for the CBI-ED engineered alliance.
The remarks came amid backlash to PM Modi’s Friday speech, where he slammed the DMK regime for mishandling the Kartigai Deepam lamp-lighting dispute and allegedly insulting deity Lord Murugan and judicial processes. Tagore deemed this intervention regrettable, especially since the Tiruparankundram dispute remains before the Supreme Court.
He pointed fingers at RSS affiliates for manufacturing religious controversies to polarize voters. ‘This is a deeply emotional issue for Tamils, and the PM’s untimely remarks only exacerbate tensions,’ Tagore observed.
In solidarity with Rahul Gandhi’s X post, Tagore spotlighted the handloom and textile sector’s plight. Gandhi warned that US’s 50% tariffs are devastating exporters, causing massive unemployment and business shutdowns. He labeled it the harsh truth of India’s stagnant economy, calling out the PM’s silence on relief measures despite millions of livelihoods hanging in balance.
Tagore reiterated Congress’s commitment to grassroots issues, contrasting it with NDA’s focus on divisive rhetoric. This verbal jousting reflects escalating political theater in Tamil Nadu, where local sentiments clash with central narratives, setting the stage for high-stakes confrontations.