Left parties to stage 'rail roko' on August 1 over lack of fund allocation for Tamil Nadu
MADURAI: Condemning the lack of fund allocation for Tamil Nadu in the Union Budget, the CPM has decided to stage a rail rokoon August 1, said MP Su Venkatesan in Madurai on Sunday. The picketing will be held at Madurai, Ottakadai, Thirumangalam and Usilampatti railway stations.
Venkatesan said the Budget has sparked outrage across the country as the BJP has tabled special schemes for Andhra Pradesh and Bihar only. Despite Tamil Nadu being the only state to have 10 metropolitan cities, funds allocated for the state's infrastructure are lesser than the funds allocated to other states in the last 10 years.
He added, "In the Budget, Rs 21,000 crore has been allocated for flood control in Kosi River in Bihar. While Chennai, Tirunelveli and Thoothukudi districts have also received heavy rainfall and faced severe floods, only a meagre amount was released. The union government has not released funds for the Chennai metro rail project or the Madurai metro project."
"The tax on foreign companies has been reduced from 40% to 35%. However, taxes levied on small and medium-sized businesses have not been exempted. MSMEs have been demanding that the time limit for repaying loans be increased from 3 months to 6 months, since the pandemic.
The BJP government has opened up foreign capital to a great extent and affected domestic entrepreneurs and MSMEs. It is an opportunistic Budget that takes revenge on the states and crushes India's industry and agriculture," the MP said.