The Union Budget for 2024-25 has come as a huge disappointment to political parties in Tamil Nadu with the ruling DMK and the principal Opposition party AIADMK to the NDA constituent, Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) slamming the NDA Government for a raw deal to the state.
In protest against the Budget, Chief Minister MK Stalin announced that he is boycotting the upcoming NITI Ayog meeting on July 27.
None of the projects on Stalin’s wish list found a place in the budget, leaving the chief minister fuming. “It is a great betrayal of Tamil Nadu. The budget is a political one in that it appears to be an alliance pact with the ruling parties in Bihar and Andhra Pradesh, which have got a bonanza. States like Tamil Nadu, which remain a fulcrum of the nation’s development, have consistently been denied space for communal politics,” said the chief minister.
He said it is painful to note that the BJP has used this as an opportunity to settle scores for electoral results. He called it unfortunate since it would prove detrimental to democracy and the federal structure.
The CM’s wish list included among others the Rs 63,000-crore allocation for Chennai Metro Rail Phase II, approval for Metro Rail projects for Coimbatore and Madurai, and Rs 37,000 crore for flood relief to carry out restoration works in eight districts ravaged by floods. While other states have been granted liberal financial assistance, Tamil Nadu has been ignored, Stalin lamented, terming it a ‘grave injustice’.
While Stalin is boycotting the NITI Ayog conclave, DMK members of Parliament will stage a protest in the national capital on July 24 against the state being ignored in the budget. Allies of the DMK – Congress, VCK, MDMK, Left parties, and others – have joined the chorus in condemnation of the budget.
Not to be left behind, the AIADMK came out strongly against the budget. “That no project has been announced for Tamil Nadu clearly shows a deep-rooted grudge against the state,” party general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami said, adding the DMK and its allies, despite having 39 MPs, failed to secure the state’s rightful share.
“It is a budget aimed at satisfying the allies of the BJP. Even the poll promises of the BJP have failed to find a mention,” he said in a statement.
The PMK, a constituent of the NDA, while welcoming the initiatives on employment generation, expressed deep disappointment over Tamil Nadu not getting any major infrastructure projects and the development of railways.
However, BJP state president K Annamalai described the budget as growth-oriented, welfare-centric and people-friendly. Speaking to the media in Kanniyakumari, he said, “The Union Budget will give the required thrust to industrial growth and equitable social development.”