While Tamil Nadu was forced to borrow or seek outside investment without proper allocation, the Union government used “unjust and underhanded methods” to block progress of the State on those fronts too, Tamil Nadu’s Minister for Information Technology Palanivel Thiaga Rajan charged on Friday.
In a social media post, Mr. Rajan shared a video and recalled his participation in the ‘Fight to Protect Federalism’ protest at Jantar Mantar in Delhi on Thursday (February 8), and said: “As our leader [Chief Minister M.K. Stalin] points out, the cumulative effect is nothing but a blatant attempt to subjugate states and reduce them to mere municipalities (at best).”
He said during his speech in Delhi he had listed the many ways in which the Union government “cuts the fair share of funding to the states and then puts onerous conditions on what little funding it provides.”
Without proper allocation, the State was forced to borrow or seek outside investment, he said and further charged: “The Union Govt then uses unjust and underhanded methods to block our progress on those fronts also..”
The fight against authoritarian forces was “likely to be long and arduous”, he said and added that one must remember that “no amount of money given to a society or state without the right framework (inclusion and universal education, robust and independent organizations that protect democratic norms, social and communal harmony) can ever accelerate growth or broadly improve people’s lives. Only the timing of the eventual recognition of futility is unclear.”
He said a country, State, or society, which constantly reinforces the right values (equitable culture, compassion, and competence) can never be quelled or subjugated by authoritarians or oppressors.
“Other than the truth, nothing lasts forever. Everyone in office now has not always been in their office, and will not be in that office forever. As long as we live, and strengthen our values, our efforts - to protect our people, our language, our culture, and our history from the authoritarian onslaught - will eventually prove victorious,” Mr Rajan said.
