CHENNAI: Claiming that Tamil Nadu is heading towards bankruptcy under an “inept and corrupt” government and its misgovernance, Union Minister Piyush Goyal on Saturday launched a scathing attack on the DMK alleging that the state has become an “ATM” for Chief Minister M K Stalin’s family, as the BJP released a comprehensive, multi-perspective white paper on Tamil Nadu’s financial situation.
Speaking after releasing the document, Goyal claimed that the CM has no answers to questions on the state’s finances and is attempting to divert public attention through “false narratives”.
“Every member of the family, including Stalin, Udhayanidhi Stalin, Kanimozhi and Sabareesan, has their hands muddied in this saga of loot and misgovernance,” he remarked.
Goyal said the state’s debt has nearly doubled to Rs 10 lakh crore in the past five years. He alleged that the government is borrowing even for day-to-day expenses.
“We can understand if borrowings are used for capital expenditure like highways and power infrastructure. But what assets have you created?” he questioned. He claimed that the state is required to pay Rs 76,000 crore towards interest this year, leaving little room for capital expenditure.
When asked about the slew of welfare measures promised by the AIADMK and whether they would strain the state’s finances, he said curbing corruption, which he alleged has pervaded every sphere of governance, would generate sufficient resources for both welfare schemes and capital investment.
There was no election campaign of PM Narendra Modi planned in TN, he further said, adding that it’s a fake narrative by the DMK.
Meanwhile, Goyal, TN BJP president Nainar Nagenthran, and other party functionaries welcomed a group of 345 Indian fishermen, including 327 from Tamil Nadu, who returned from Iran amid the West Asia conflict.