Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president K. Selvaperunthagai on Monday said that the Tamil Nadu Finance Minister Thangam Thennarasu has presented a Budget for ‘the people of Tamil Nadu in the present times. Speaking to the journalists, Mr. Selvaperunthagai said that the State government had ‘done its maximum’ and argued that ‘nothing more could be done’.
“The Union government is punishing Tamil Nadu consistently. After taking taxes from the people of Tamil Nadu, they are denying what should be given for Tamil Nadu and distributing the tax revenues from Tamil Nadu to BJP ruled states such as Uttar Pradesh. PM Modi is acting in an authoritative manner. Why must our right be denied to us? Looking at this Budget, it is clear that even though Union Government may have denied tax revnues meant for the State, the government’s budget has shown that people of Tamil Nadu will be protected. People of Tamil Nadu are watching and they will teach a lesson to Union Government in the elections,” he said.
Mr. Selvaperunthagai said that Union Government has not ‘given a single paisa’ from the Disaster Management Fund despite Tamil Nadu experiencing two back-to-back natural disasters in December.
“Be it Chennai, Kanchipuram, Chengalpattu or southern districts Tirunelveli, Kanniyakumari or Thoothukudi...union government has not given a single paisa from Disaster Management Fund,” he said.
Mr. Selvaperunthagai lauded the State government’s decision to increase funding to school education, Naan Mudhalvan Thittam, expansion of Morning Breakfast scheme and rejected the BJP’s criticism that State Government was simply renaming Central government schemes as in many of the Central government schemes, State government is a major contributor and Central government is only a minor constributor.
