DMK president M.K. Stalin on Saturday accused the AIADMK government of imposing an unprecedented debt of ₹4.56 lakh crore on the people of Tamil Nadu and failing to uphold the State’s rights in relation to its share of taxes.
In a statement, he criticised the contention of Deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam that the efforts of Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami had led to the Union Finance Commission recommending the allotment of ₹32,849 crore as Tamil Nadu’s share.
‘Contrary to Budget’
“His argument runs contrary to the Budget he had presented in the Assembly on February 14. Mr. Panneerselvam had said that Tamil Nadu had sought an adequate share of taxes from the Centre, and the State government would bring pressure to bear on the Union government to allot the amount,” Mr. Stalin said.
Recalling Mr. Panneerselvam’s statement that the Centre had not sanctioned the revenue deficit grant, Mr. Stalin said the Finance Minister had ‘shamelessly’ claimed that the State had received the first instalment.
“Mr. Panneerselvam has criticised me just to divert the people’s attention from the Centre’s betrayal of Tamil Nadu,” he claimed.
