MK Stalin told DMK MPs

Chennai:

Tamil Nadu MPs received a message of encouragement from Chief Minister MK Stalin as they prepare to take an aggressive stance against the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government on a number of issues in the Parliament session beginning on Monday.

DMK MPs held a meeting today in which they discussed the BJP-led Centre's betrayal of the state and its people.

“When you go to Parliament, you should roar for the rights of Tamil Nadu,” Mr Stalin told MPs from the ruling DMK.

The DMK MPs will raise issues on the Waqf Board (Amendment) Bill, 'One Nation, One Election', unemployment and alleged steps taken by the Center which were seen as “taking away the rights of Tamil Nadu”.

For example, Mr Stalin's party has alleged that not a single mega project has been started in the state. He pointed out how the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Madurai has not been completed.

DMK MPs said the state's rights have been denied in fund and project allocation. After the devastation caused by floods last year, Tamil Nadu had asked for Rs 37,907 crore. He said, but the Center gave only Rs 276 crore.

Mr Stalin and his party leaders have alleged that successive finance commissions have cheated the state with less transfers. Between 2014 and 2022, Tamil Nadu paid Rs 6.37 lakh crore, but devolution gave only Rs 4.75 lakh crore. The state government claims that for every rupee of indirect tax, the state gets only 29 paise.

Tamil Nadu is most unhappy with the loss caused by the implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST), as the state is a manufacturing hub. The state claims it suffered a loss of Rs 2,000 crore after GST compensation was stopped.

On the 'cultural war' front, Mr Stalin alleged that just because the state opposes the National Education Policy (NEP) which “imposes Hindi”, the state is denied funds.

The DMK had also passed six resolutions during a high-level committee meeting on Wednesday, criticizing the BJP-led government on a range of issues including violence in Manipur, “Hindi imposition”, youth unemployment, Waqf (Amendment) Bill and 'One Nation'. The central government was condemned. , an election.'

The first of the six resolutions lauded Mr Stalin for “introducing various public welfare schemes” under the Dravidian model of government.