The Tamil Nadu government has decided to skip the meeting of the finance ministers of southern states, scheduled to take place in Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday. The meeting was convened by the Kerala government to discuss the issues faced by southern states that are affected by the 15th Finance Commission. A top official of the Tamil Nadu government said a decision has been taken not to attend the meeting. However, the official declined to elaborate on the reasons.
Neither Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam, who is also holding the finance portfolio, nor any official will attend. The main complaint from the southern states is the use of 2011 census data as the reference point as against the 1971 data, which would affect the states that had controlled their population in the overall interests of the nation