Chennai: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday launched a scathing attack on the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) in Tamil Nadu, accusing it of earning “first copyright” on corruption and indulging in “hate and divisive politics.”

Addressing poll rallies in Vellore and Mettupalayam in Coimbatore district during his seventh visit to the southern state since January, Modi accused the DMK and its Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc ally Congress of being “family-first parties”.

Read here: PM Modi’s ‘1st copyright in corruption’ attack on MK Stalin’s DMK in Tamil Nadu

“The DMK has earned the first copyright on corruption, the entire family is looting Tamil Nadu,” Modi said in Vellore, in a veiled reference to the DMK’s first family, headed by party president and chief minister MK Stalin.

“Today, the country is setting world record in 5G (telecommunication) but the DMK brought disrepute with 2G scam. Congress and DMK stand at the forefront to protect the corrupt. While I say remove corruption, they say protect the corrupt,” Modi said.

DMK leader and former telecom minister A Raja and party leader Kanimozhi were accused in the 2G spectrum allocation case, but they were later acquitted by a special court.

Polling on all 39 Lok Sabha seats in Tamil Nadu will be held on April 19 in the first of the seven-phase elections.

Seeking votes for Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidates, Modi charged the DMK with impeding the progress of the state’s youth with its “old mindset.”

“DMK divides people over language, region, faith and caste. DMK knows that the day people see through this, it will not get a single vote. I have decided to expose the decades-old dangerous politics of DMK,” Modi said.

In Vellore, New Justice Party chief AC Shanmugam, who is contesting on the BJP symbol, will square off against incumbent lawmaker Kathir Anand of the DMK and S Pasupathy of the AIADMK.

Modi also raked up the Katchatheevu row and blamed the then Congress and DMK governments at the Centre and in the state, respectively, for ceding the island to Sri Lanka in 1974.

“Congress and DMK have kept the people of Tamil Nadu in (the) dark. They callously gave away the Katchatheevu island to Sri Lanka and meted out injustice to our fishermen,” Modi alleged, adding that the NDA government has been continuously getting “our fishermen released and bringing them back home.”

Addressing a rally at Mettupalayam, near Coimbatore, later in the day, Modi charged the DMK with playing “the dangerous game of discrimination and division” in Tamil Nadu.

“DMK has always done hate and divisive politics. Its focus has never been Tamil Nadu’s development. I assure you that the NDA, in its third term will work with more vigour for the growth of Nilgiris and Kongu,” he said. Tamil Nadu’s western region is called Kongu and this was Modi’s third visit to the region, where the BJP enjoys some support.

The BJP has fielded state party chief Annamalai from Coimbatore and Union minister of state L Murugan from the Nilgiris constituency.

Modi also hit out at DMK leader Dayanidhi Maran over the latter’s “joker” remark on Annamalai, saying the “insulting words” used against the BJP leader reflected the character of the ruling Dravidian party.

“DMK is a party that is immersed in the arrogance of power. When a senior leader of DMK was asked about our young leader Annamalai, he said in arrogance ‘who is he, who is that’ and used insulting words. This arrogance is against Tamil Nadu’s great culture,” Modi said.

Read here: PM Modi slams DMK, accuses it of ‘hate and division’ politics

In a recent television interview, when asked about the challenge posed by Annamalai, former Union minister Maran had said: “Who’s that? Oh, the joker, you are talking about the joker…”

Attacking the DMK and the Congress over dynastic politics, Modi said: “Family-centric parties think that people from tribal communities are not fit to hold any important position in governance.”