Chandrababu Naidu invokes Dravidian identity, pitches NDA in Tamil Nadu campaign

Striking a regional chord ahead of the Tamil Nadu Assembly polls, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Tuesday (April 21) invoked Dravidian sentiment as he campaigned for NDA candidates. Emphasising Tamil pride, the TDP chief urged voters to back the alliance, pitching it as a choice tied to the state’s future.

‘Tamil, Telugu part of shared culture’

“Tamil Nadu is the cradle of Dravidian culture and Tamil and Telugu people were together under the Madras Presidency during the British colonial time before independence,” he said, drawing parallels between the two states at a press conference.

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"We are all Dravidians. Historically, if you can go through it, we are (were) all in a combined province during the British period. Chennai was the headquarters, at that time, Madras," Naidu said.

According to the Andhra CM, Tamil Nadu has produced several stalwarts who contributed to the country, including CV Raman, Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, Srinivasa Ramanujan, Abdul Kalam and MS Swaminathan.

He said the state was also home to great reformist leaders such as Periyar EV Ramaswamy and CN Annadurai, adding that Tamil Nadu has long dominated the bureaucracy by producing a large number of IAS officers.

Abdul Kalam’s legacy

Recalling that his first chief secretary was also a Tamilian, he said Tamil Nadu continues to dominate with its strong IAS lobby. He said that former president Abdul Kalam also hailed from the state. “We were very happy during the Vajpayee period. Abdul Kalam was elected as the President of India, and he made all the difference. There have been many Presidents, but people remember only Abdul Kalam today. That is the biggest difference he made,” Naidu said.

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Similarly, he underscored that TDP founder NT Rama Rao (NTR) and AIADMK founder MG Ramachandran (MGR) were good friends both in films and politics. By the time NTR became the CM of Andhra Pradesh, MGR was already the chief minister of Tamil Nadu. Further, Naidu noted that Tamilians love their language Tamil immensely and also protect it.

Praises TN’s iconic temples

Asserting that Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh were not separate, he said the state is renowned for its temple architecture, which Prime Minister Narendra Modi appreciates.

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PM Modi has promoted Tamil Nadu temples in a big way, Naidu said, mentioning famous temple towns such as Thanjavur, Tiruchirappalli, Chidambaram, Madurai, Kanchipuram and Rameswaram.

Elections to 234 Assembly seats in Tamil Nadu will be held on April 23, and the results will be declared on May 4.