CHENNAI: Slamming the BJP-led centre for boycotting Tamil Nadu in the Union Budget, Chief Minister MK Stalin on Tuesday said giving funds generously to certain states for political reasons and spitting hatred on states like TN, which play a major role in country’s growth, will destabilise India’s democratic and federal principles.
In a veiled reference to Bihar and Andhra Pradesh, Stalin said that in order to satisfy a few regional parties that made a ‘minority BJP’ into ‘majority BJP’, schemes have been announced in the Budget.
Speaking to reporters at the DMK headquarters, the CM said, “We will continue to fight for establishing the rights of TN before the people’s court. On Wednesday, the DMK MPs will stage a demonstration in New Delhi.” Asked whether the DMK-led alliance’s 40/40 victory was the reason for the union government boycotting the state, Stalin said, “They have so much anger against the people of Tamil Nadu.”
Stalin said, so far, devolving the funds to all states appropriately to ensure uniform growth has been the guiding principle behind the budget. “However, the union budget for 2024-25 seems to have gone against this principle, he said, adding the budget looked like an alliance agreement made for those ruling Bihar and Andhra Pradesh,” he said.
“I made certain requests to be included in the union budget, but the union finance minister has totally ignored them. On the other hand, to satisfy a few regional parties which made the ‘minority BJP’ as ‘majority BJP’, a few schemes have been announced,” he added.
Recalling that Tamil Nadu sought Rs 37,000 crore towards restoration and rehabilitation in areas hit by natural disasters, the CM said the union government gave just Rs 276 crore. “This is how the BJP respects Tamil Nadu,” he added, pointing out that in the union budget, Bihar alone got Rs 11,500 crore for disaster prevention works besides funds for Uttarakhand, Sikkim, and Himachal Pradesh. “This is the biggest injustice inflicted on the people of Tamil Nadu,” he said.
“The union finance minister has forgotten all other states except those who are safeguarding BJP government. There is no word called Tamil Nadu in the budget. It is better to say Tamil Nadu has no place in the words and deeds of BJP rulers,” the CM said.
Remarking that the minister has ‘copied’ many schemes from TN in the budget, he asked, “Why did she not announce at least one big scheme for Tamil Nadu, at least as a thanksgiving gesture?”