Union Budget has betrayed T.N., disappointed the middle-class: Stalin
CM says the Budget felt more like an agreement with the rulers of Bihar and A.P. for ‘political reasons’, reiterates demand to allocate funds to T.N.
Describing the Union Budget 2024-25 as “huge betrayal” of Tamil Nadu, Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Tuesday said it appeared as though the Budget had “intentionally boycotted” the State.
It is against the integrity of the country to deceive the people of Tamil Nadu, Mr. Stalin said, reiterating his demand to allocate funds to the State. The Union Budget did not seem to cover all of India, and was more like “an agreement or alliance” with the rulers of Bihar and Andhra Pradesh for “political reasons”, the Chief Minister said in a statement.
States like Tamil Nadu, which have been majorly contributing towards the country’s development, were being targeted because they “have been consistently rejecting communal politics,” Mr. Stalin said, adding that such acts were against the ideals of democracy and federalism. “It is painful that the BJP-led Union government is using the Union Budget to settle electoral scores. It will affect the people of Tamil Nadu,” he said, and pointed out that there was “no specific project” in the Budget for the people of Tamil Nadu. The announcement that three crore houses would be constructed over five years without increasing the unit cost would only “increase the burden on the State governments”, he said, adding: “It is not enough if you just name the scheme after the Prime Minister. We want the funds to be allocated accordingly…”
According to the Chief Minister, the major schemes announced by the Union government were only a “photocopy” of the State Budget.
He referred to schemes being implemented by the State government such as Thozhi working women hostels, and accommodation for workers in factories. “The Union Finance Minister has taken a photocopy of many successful schemes being implemented in Tamil Nadu, and used them in the Union Budget. But, why did she not announce even a single project for Tamil Nadu in gratitude…?,” Mr. Stalin asked.
Referring to the announcement that the Centre would encourage States to consider lowering stamp duty, Mr. Stalin said, “There was no announcement on how to compensate for the revenue loss. The Union government should grant compensation for the revenue loss….”
The Union Budget is a “huge disappointment” to the middle-class, and even the few relaxations announced do not apply to those in the old income tax regime, he added.
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