Hindu Makkal Katchi leader Arjun Sampath on Thursday cautioned Chief Minister Vijay against being “misled” by the Congress, alleging that the party has a history of “backstabbing”. He made the remarks while speaking to reporters in Kumbakonam in Thanjavur district.
Sampath said the earlier “Dravidian model” government’s confrontational approach towards the Union government had led to several development projects in Tamil Nadu getting stalled. He welcomed Vijay’s stated intent to work in a more cooperative manner with the Centre, but claimed the Chief Minister repeated familiar positions at the NITI Aayog meeting.
On NEET, Sampath argued that seeking an exemption should be pursued in the Supreme Court rather than raised at NITI Aayog. He also praised the HR&CE Minister’s handling of the “prasadam stall” issue, noting that the livelihoods of around two lakh contractors were linked to the contracts and urging decisions that take this into account.
Referring to the Cauvery dispute and the Mekedatu issue, Sampath blamed the Congress for past problems and alleged that Congress leaders, including Sonia Gandhi and Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, were adopting an “anti-Hindu” stance. He said the Modi government had not politicised the Cauvery issue and pointed to the Cauvery authority being formed during the Vajpayee era.
Sampath further said the Tamil Nadu government should not be “cheated” by Congress on issues such as Cauvery and Sri Lankan Tamils. He added that the Vijay government should be given six months to prove itself, while urging early preparatory work for the 2028 Mahamaham festival and calling for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to attend the event.
