CHENNAI: In response to criticism levelled by AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami about Tamil Nadu’s debt, Finance Minister Thangam Thennarasu questioned him why he remained silent all these years over the union government’s escalating debt.
Further, Minister Thennarasu emphasised that Tamil Nadu has adhered to the ceiling prescribed by finance commission and has ensured that the state’s borrowing did not exceed 3 % of its GDP and that the debt remains less than 25%.
In a press statement, Finance Minister Thangam Thennarasu referred to the AIADMK’s 2011 election manifesto, wherein the party had promised to reduce Tamil Nadu’s debt, and highlighted that during AIADMK’s ten years of governance, the state’s debt increased from Rs 1.30 lakh crore in 2011-2012 to Rs 4.85 lakh crore in 2020-21.
Further, the minister charged Palaniswami with being a silent observer to the union government’s debt. Also, Thennarasu questioned the opposition leader why he did not ever voice concerns about the significant increase in the union government’s debt, which rose from Rs 54 lakh crore in 2014 to Rs 205 lakh crore in the last ten years.