Chennai, Nov 16 : Tamil Nadu BJP president Nainar Nagenthran on Sunday issued a sharp condemnation of Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, accusing the DMK government of allowing major industrial investments slip out of the state due to administrative "failures" and "poor investor confidence".

His reaction came after South Koreaâ??based footwear manufacturer Hwasung, which had earlier proposed a Rs 1,720-crore project in Tamil Nadu, reportedly shifted its investment plans to Andhra Pradesh.

In his statement, Nagenthran said the Chief Minister must answer whether he was aware that the company, expected to create nearly 20,000 direct jobs for youth in Tamil Nadu, had now chosen another state.

He said the development exposed the "inefficiency and indifference" of the current administration.

"Stalin keeps saying he will never allow Tamil Nadu to bow its head. But under this ineffective government, young people have now lost 20,000 direct job opportunities. This is the result of an administration that neither protects existing investments nor works to retain companies that show interest on their own," he charged.

Comparing the DMK government's repeated investment announcements to the 'Boy Who Cried Wolf' tale, Nagenthran said, "Every time the government loudly advertises that big investments are coming. And every time, it ends with the news that the same investments have gone to neighbouring states. This has become a continuous, predictable pattern."

He also criticised the Chief Minister's foreign tours aimed at attracting investors, saying those trips have yielded no meaningful results.

"The Chief Minister goes abroad claiming he is bringing investments, only to return empty-handed. Even investments that arrive without effort are allowed to slip away due to administrative apathy," he said.

Calling it a "serious setback for Tamil Nadu's industrial prospects," the BJP leader said the DMK government was actively damaging the state's economic future.

He questioned CM Stalin's repeated claims that he would return to power in 2026 and help Tamil Nadu "stand tall".

"When the government itself is weakening the state day by day, such claims only sound laughable," Nagenthran remarked.

He demanded a full explanation from the state government on how a major project it had once proudly showcased was lost within just a few months.

/IANS