Our leader's excellent work went in our favour, says TRB Rajaa
"Any and all the big investments that are coming into India, their first stop has always been Tamil Nadu. And we make sure that all the big things, big investments, come into Tamil Nadu if the incentive package is sensible," said TRB Raja, the Industries Minister from Tamil Nadu.
The INDIA opposition bloc registered a clean sweep in Tamil Nadu, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK)-Congress-Left alliance which also includes some regional parties won all 39 seats in the state.
The DMK contested on 22 seats leaving the rest for the allies. The Stalin-led party won all Lok Sabha seats in 2019 as well. The alliance as a whole had lost just one Lok Sabha seat. DMK Chief MK Stalin was also part of the INDI Alliance meeting that took place yesterday.
While discussing the Lok Sabha election results, TRB Raja, the Industries Minister from Tamil Nadu, said, “What went in our favor was our leader's excellent work and his dedication on the field, his focus on real issues, he focused on jobs, he focused on getting the entire economy back on track.”
This is the verbatim transcript of the interview.
Q: What do you read into as far as this victory is concerned, because this was a state where the Prime Minister spent a lot of his time, his focus, his attention on. What do you think went in your favour?
A: I think we kept it simple. What went in our favor was our leader's excellent work and his dedication on the field, his focus on real issues, he focused on jobs, he focused on getting the entire economy back on track - we had a very bad 10-year regime and COVID's effects. As soon as our leader took over, he made sure that the economy was back on track and he also sent out a very strong message to India as such, to the entire country. He said he will stand by those who are with social justice, those who are for equity, those who are for inclusive growth. And he stuck to his guns, even though the regime up top let loose the entire machinery that they had with them. He stood like a rock. He said, no, I'm not going to budge, I'm going to stay for India, which is more secular. He will stand always for the democratic values and for cooperative federalism.
Q: You mentioned co-operative federalism. What do you think this verdict means now as far as co-operative federalism is concerned? The DMK and the INDI Alliance from Tamil Nadu will send 39 MPs to the Lok Sabha. In terms of perhaps evening out the balance that had shifted in your assessment and in the assessment of opposition leaders like yourselves in favour of the centre, do you believe that there is going to now be a rebalancing?
A: Absolutely. And I think that now Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu is going to make sure that there's going to be, that co-operative federalism is key for this new regime.
Also Read | WEF 2024: Tamil Nadu prioritises quality over quantity in investments, says industries minister TRB Rajaa
Q: MK Stalin and Chandrababu Naidu did meet yesterday in the capital as the NDA and the INDI Alliance meetings were underway. And there was a lot of speculation on whether overtures are being made to Mr Naidu. Of course, now the NDA resolution has been passed and the TDP is firmly with the BJP and they will stake claim to form government. But Chandrababu Naidu is also the original chief minister. As you start to now compete with another state for investments, how do you view the competitive landscape?
A: My leader is a very mature leader and he's always been telling us that it has to be a very mature, friendly competition and we compete for India. So it is not for just one state, we've always competed and made sure that we've gotten the best investments in the best interest of the country. So we know that we'll be competing with several other states but there's no match for Tamil Nadu. Tamil Nadu is the number one state when it comes to investment promotion and making sure that investments thrive in the coming years.
Q: Speaking of investments, I know that you were also reaching out to Elon Musk and the team at Tesla to try and woo them to set up a shop in the state of Tamil Nadu. Where do those stocks stand? Has any progress been made on that front?
A: I can only tell you that any and all the big investments that are coming into India, their first stop has always been Tamil Nadu. And we make sure that all the big things, big investments, come into Tamil Nadu if the incentive package is sensible. Because we are very careful about how we spend the people's money on incentives and make sure that if any of the investments are coming, they've got to give us big jobs and high-end jobs. That's what Tamil Nadu wants.
Also Read | BJP may have the numerical mandate, but we have the moral one: Deepender Singh Hooda
Q: You spoke about that relationship that your leader enjoys with Chandrababu Naidu. So let me ask you a larger question about the concern that southern states have with respect to delimitation and that exercise and the implications come 2026. Is this going to be an area, an issue that you believe that the DMK and the TDP will take up together?
A: Yes, absolutely. All the southern states have been very good at population control and we've worked on what the union said decades back, and we've done a very good job. Now doing a good job, should not be punished. Somebody doing a good job should not be punished. I think the entire spectrum of leaders, sensible leaders all over India, agree with that point. And our genuine request will be hitherto and I think we will make good ground on that now.
For more, watch the accompanying video
The DMK contested on 22 seats leaving the rest for the allies. The Stalin-led party won all Lok Sabha seats in 2019 as well. The alliance as a whole had lost just one Lok Sabha seat. DMK Chief MK Stalin was also part of the INDI Alliance meeting that took place yesterday.
While discussing the Lok Sabha election results, TRB Raja, the Industries Minister from Tamil Nadu, said, “What went in our favor was our leader's excellent work and his dedication on the field, his focus on real issues, he focused on jobs, he focused on getting the entire economy back on track.”
This is the verbatim transcript of the interview.
Q: What do you read into as far as this victory is concerned, because this was a state where the Prime Minister spent a lot of his time, his focus, his attention on. What do you think went in your favour?
A: I think we kept it simple. What went in our favor was our leader's excellent work and his dedication on the field, his focus on real issues, he focused on jobs, he focused on getting the entire economy back on track - we had a very bad 10-year regime and COVID's effects. As soon as our leader took over, he made sure that the economy was back on track and he also sent out a very strong message to India as such, to the entire country. He said he will stand by those who are with social justice, those who are for equity, those who are for inclusive growth. And he stuck to his guns, even though the regime up top let loose the entire machinery that they had with them. He stood like a rock. He said, no, I'm not going to budge, I'm going to stay for India, which is more secular. He will stand always for the democratic values and for cooperative federalism.
Q: You mentioned co-operative federalism. What do you think this verdict means now as far as co-operative federalism is concerned? The DMK and the INDI Alliance from Tamil Nadu will send 39 MPs to the Lok Sabha. In terms of perhaps evening out the balance that had shifted in your assessment and in the assessment of opposition leaders like yourselves in favour of the centre, do you believe that there is going to now be a rebalancing?
A: Absolutely. And I think that now Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu is going to make sure that there's going to be, that co-operative federalism is key for this new regime.
Also Read | WEF 2024: Tamil Nadu prioritises quality over quantity in investments, says industries minister TRB Rajaa
Q: MK Stalin and Chandrababu Naidu did meet yesterday in the capital as the NDA and the INDI Alliance meetings were underway. And there was a lot of speculation on whether overtures are being made to Mr Naidu. Of course, now the NDA resolution has been passed and the TDP is firmly with the BJP and they will stake claim to form government. But Chandrababu Naidu is also the original chief minister. As you start to now compete with another state for investments, how do you view the competitive landscape?
A: My leader is a very mature leader and he's always been telling us that it has to be a very mature, friendly competition and we compete for India. So it is not for just one state, we've always competed and made sure that we've gotten the best investments in the best interest of the country. So we know that we'll be competing with several other states but there's no match for Tamil Nadu. Tamil Nadu is the number one state when it comes to investment promotion and making sure that investments thrive in the coming years.
Q: Speaking of investments, I know that you were also reaching out to Elon Musk and the team at Tesla to try and woo them to set up a shop in the state of Tamil Nadu. Where do those stocks stand? Has any progress been made on that front?
A: I can only tell you that any and all the big investments that are coming into India, their first stop has always been Tamil Nadu. And we make sure that all the big things, big investments, come into Tamil Nadu if the incentive package is sensible. Because we are very careful about how we spend the people's money on incentives and make sure that if any of the investments are coming, they've got to give us big jobs and high-end jobs. That's what Tamil Nadu wants.
Also Read | BJP may have the numerical mandate, but we have the moral one: Deepender Singh Hooda
Q: You spoke about that relationship that your leader enjoys with Chandrababu Naidu. So let me ask you a larger question about the concern that southern states have with respect to delimitation and that exercise and the implications come 2026. Is this going to be an area, an issue that you believe that the DMK and the TDP will take up together?
A: Yes, absolutely. All the southern states have been very good at population control and we've worked on what the union said decades back, and we've done a very good job. Now doing a good job, should not be punished. Somebody doing a good job should not be punished. I think the entire spectrum of leaders, sensible leaders all over India, agree with that point. And our genuine request will be hitherto and I think we will make good ground on that now.
For more, watch the accompanying video
(Edited by : Shweta Mungre)
First Published: Jun 6, 2024 6:45 PM IST
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