Will Modi speak in North India about Rajendra Chola’s victorious expedition, asks  TNCC chief Selvaperunthagai

Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) president K. Selvaperunthagai  on Monday asked whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi would speak about Rajendra Chola’s history in North India where the king is believed to have led a victorious expedition about a 1,000 years ago.

He was speaking at a press conference to announce essay writing and public speaking competitions to celebrate former Prime Minister  Rajiv Gandhi’s birth anniversary, the establishment of Rajiv Gandhi  IAS Academy, and the institution of awards in name of Congress leaders.

Mr. Selvaperunthagai said, “Mr. Modi must speak about erecting a statue for Rajendra Chola in North India. Rajendra Chola is called  Gangaikonda  Cholan. It is believed that he had brought Ganga water and performed  abhishekam to the Peruvudaiyar [at Gangaikonda Cholapuram]… It is also believed that he had defeated the north Indian armies. Would Mr. Modi speak about it in North India?”

The TNCC president questioned Mr. Modi’s claim that the Centre had devolved ₹3 lakh crore to Tamil Nadu in the last 10 years, a sum which was much higher than what the Congress-led UPA government had given. “Union Home Minister Amit Shah said ₹6,80,000 crore had been given in the 10 years, whereas the Congress-led government had given only ₹1,53,000 crore. Union Minister of State L. Murugan said ₹12 lakh crore had been given to Tamil Nadu. Which figure is true? Nobody has done more to Tamil Nadu in terms of tax devolution and schemes than the Congress. When Manmohan Singh was the Prime Minister, the tax system was simple. Now, the GST is levied on all goods, along with surcharges. Tamil Nadu’s tax revenue has come down after the GST was introduced,” he said.

Asked whether the Congress would insist on sharing power with the DMK after the 2026 Assembly election, Mr. Selvaperunthagai said, “We are a national party. There are more than 10 months left for the election. We have conveyed our opinion to the AICC, which will take a decision.”