DMK cadre, led by its MP M. K. Kanimozhi, staging a demonstration in Thoothukudi on Saturday in protest against the BJP-led Central government over neglect and partiality in allocation of funds to State governments.
| Photo Credit: Rajesh N
The Bharatiya Janata Party-led Government in the Centre which has presented an “anti-people, anti-Tamil” budget would soon be brought down, said Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam MP, Kanimozhi.
Addressing a demonstration against the Union Budget that has neglected Tamil Nadu’s development here on Saturday, the Lok Sabha member said that a government that would work for the common man would be put in place at the Centre. “That Government will not be working in the interest of Adanis and Ambanis, but for the common man,” she said.
Ms. Kanimozhi said that the Union Budget presented by the Finance Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman, made the MPs feel that they were not sitting in the Parliament but in the Assembly of Andhra Pradesh or Bihar.
Except for the two States, all other parts of the country were neglected in the budget,” she said. Stating that the DMK was not against allocation of funds for these two States, she wondered whether the allocated funds would be given. “Because, this Union Government is known for making announcements and not implementing them,” she said.
Charging that the Centre, which was against the minorities, had been reduced to a minority government and so forced to allocate higher funds to the States of Andhra Pradesh and Bihar only for its survival.
The Union Finance Minister visited the flood-affected Thoothukudi district. But she did not release any flood relief. Prime Minister, Narendra Modi visited Tamil Nadu eight times during the election. But Tamil Nadu was not mentioned in the entire budget.
“If the Centre takes all the income (by way of tax) from Tamil Nadu and does not give any funds to the State, how can the basic issues like education, health be addressed,” she asked.
Union Home Minister, Amit Shah, had laid the foundation stone for the second phase of Chennai Metro Rail. But no fund has been allotted for the project till date. The Centre had reduced the allocation for Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee scheme in the last budget. But even that allocated funds were not fully released. “Now, the Centre has further reduced the funds for the scheme claiming that last year, the allocated funds were not fully utilised,” she said.
Mayor Jegan Periyasamy, MLAs, M.C. Shunmugaiah and G.V. Markandayan, were among those who were present.