AIADMK, DMK take people for granted, NDA will fulfil aspirations: Modi

Chennai, April 13 (IANS) BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi Sunday charged Tamil Nadu's AIADMK and DMK with taking the people for granted and did not bother about their welfare, and asserted a third force - his party-led six-member alliance - would fulfil their wishes.

He also urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to clarify whether his government had considered parting with Siachen Glacier in Jammu and Kashmir for the benefit of a neighbouring country.

Clad in veshti (traditional Tamil dhoti) and a saffron colour shirt, Modi took the two Dravidian parties head on, in his speech made in Hindi.

"Tamil Nadu's people are caught between AIADMK and DMK," he said.

"When one party comes to power, the other one focuses on how to unseat the party in power. Both the parties are not bothered about the welfare of the people. But there will be a new future in Tamil Nadu," Modi said.

Referring to the Bharatiya Janata Party-led six party alliance in Tamil Nadu, Modi said with the third force coming, the people's wishes will be fulfilled.

According to him, the third force has shaken the two parties and they have to junk their old ways.

Modi, the Gujarat chief minister, said the 2014 general election will lay the foundation for how India will be in the next century and the new government that would come in would respect the regional aspirations.

"This government has to go and new government has to take charge. This is an election of hope," he said.

Charging the Congress led central government of treating the states as its slaves and not respecting regional aspirations, Modi said the new government would not do so.

"I am a four time chief minister. As a chief minister I have experienced how the current central government treats the states badly. The next government that would come in will work with the state governments shoulder to shoulder to solve the problems of the people," Modi said.

He said the BJP led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is a formation of 25 parties which have a pre-poll alliance.

Modi said the problems and requirements of each region in India are different and the NDA government would use the central funds based on the needs.

He said developmental plans will also be made based on the location of the state - for instance the coastal states would have a port-based development model.

Modi said the health of Congress is very pathetic as its big leaders have run away from fighting the elections.

He said the Congress party remembers the poor only during the elections and charged the party's vice president Rahul Gandhi - not mentioning his name directly - of going on "poverty tourism".

"For him huts are now poverty tourism destinations. He will take photos visiting them. This government considers poor's homes as tourism destination," Modi said.

Referring to his own poor childhood, Modi said he can understand the pains of poor people.

Charging the UPA government as weak, Modi said even smaller nations around India - Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Pakistan - are threatening it. He said the NDA government will protect the Indian fishermen from attacks from neighbouring countries.