TIRUNELVELI/TENKASI: Taking a jibe at the union budget presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) president K Selvaperunthagai on Tuesday said the budget was prepared merely to extend the life of the BJP regime by pleasing its allies. The union budget should include welfare schemes for all the states, but this (budget) has been prepared only for two states — Andhra Pradesh and Bihar — in a bid to extend the life of the BJP regime, he said.
Alleging that the BJP is acting on the words of Chief Ministers Chandrababu Naidu and Nitish Kumar, Selvaperunthagai said, "Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who visited Tamil Nadu at least 10 times for the poll campaigns, never came to the state afterwards.
Modi and Sitharaman, who were always rooting for the welfare of Tamils and Tamil literature, did not mention even a single word about Tamil Nadu in the budget document. While funds were allotted to the rain-hit northeast states and others ruled by the BJP, southern states including Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka were ignored. Though Thoothukudi district witnessed extremely heavy rains, not even a single rupee was allotted as rain relief fund."
The Congress leader further said some portions of the Congress election manifesto were copied to the budget document by the union finance minister. "Various direct and indirect benefits worth about `1 lakh crore were announced each for Andhra Pradesh and Bihar, citing poverty. Aren't poor and middle-class people living in Tamil Nadu as well?" he asked.
Meanwhile, Selvaperunthagai, who paid homage to the 17 victims of Manjolai labourers massacre in Tirunelveli, later took part in a party meeting in Tenkasi.