CHENNAI: Strongly defending the interim budget for 2011-12, Chief Minister M Karunanidhi on Sunday ridiculed All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) general secretary J Jayalalithaa that the State’s debt burden of Rs 1,01,541 also included the debt incurred during her regime.
In a statement, Karunanidhi, referring to Jayalalithaa’s criticism that the State’s debt burden of Rs 1,01,541 was the ‘five year achievement’ of the DMK regime, said that the financial liability was not incurred only during his tenure.
“The Rs 1,01,541 debt is also inclusive of loans obtained during the AIADMK regime. Hence, the sum is inclusive of her ‘achievement’ too,” he said sarcastically. Also, the State’s liability was less than the debt of governments run by the Left parties, who were allies of the AIADMK.
The interim budget estimated a rise of `44,084 crore in debt burden during 2006-07 to 2010-11 and the total capital expenditure was Rs 44,667 crore during the same period, which only indicated that the loan was spent on useful schemes, he pointed out.
As regards the AIADMK leader’s comment on fiscal deficit of Rs 17,607.71 crore in the interim budget, the CM snubbed her by stating that a Leader of the Opposition should not go in for surface level scrutiny. “It has been clearly stated that the fiscal deficit was due to the implementation of the Sixth Pay Commission recommendations, besides the escalation in the cost of several welfare schemes of the State government. She had selectively quoted from the budget by ignoring these aspects.”
On her comment that it was an ‘empty budget’, he wondered what could one expect from an empty person. On the announcement of new Mullaiperiyar dam, he had announced that it would be challenged in the Supreme Court as soon as the news broke out.
Referring to the CPI(M) criticism that the budget reflected the all round failure of the government, he wondered how could one expect a positive comment from them when they were in the AIADMK-led alliance.