CHENNAI: The remarks made by Tamil Nadu’s Industries Minister T R B Rajaa at an event here on Thursday regarding the economy of Uttar Pradesh and the status of women in north Indian states attracted criticism on Friday from some leaders of the BJP and several right-wing supporters on social media.
Answering a question from a journalist that PMK leader, Dr Anbumani Ramadoss, had reportedly said that UP has developed better than Tamil Nadu, Rajaa said it was an “atrocious lie” and Dr Anbumani being a former union minister knew it well.
He went on to say that Tamil Nadu has grown in all sectors and has recorded a 11.19 per cent growth rate in 2024-25. He said UP instead was dependent on the abundant funds released by the union government. However, he quickly corrected himself to say that it was in fact not the union government’s funds, but Tamil Nadu’s.
“UP lives on Tamil Nadu’s funds,” he said, pointing out that Tamil Nadu received only 29 paise in return for every rupee it sends to the union government, while the remaining went to states like the UP.
Earlier, speaking at the event at Ethiraj College, he drew parallels between the growth attained by women in education and employment in Tamil Nadu vis-a-vis the northern Indian states. He said in North India, a woman is generally enquired about the education and job of her husband, whereas in Tamil Nadu, a woman is enquired about her own education and job.
After the remarks went viral, especially with many English and Hindi news channels reporting it widely on Friday, the minister attracted criticism for creating another “north-south” row. Senior BJP leader Tamilisai Soundrarajan was among the many who criticised Rajaa.