Prime Minister Narendra Modi (left) with Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin (right).
Credit: PTI Photo
Chennai: Hitting back at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his statement that the Union Government was directly transferring money to people directly, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Wednesday sought to know the Centre’s contribution in helping the people in eight districts that were affected by December 2023 floods.
Stalin, while launching a program to monitor schemes of the government under which government functionaries and officials will directly talk to beneficiaries, also replied to the ‘family rule’ jibe aimed at the DMK, saying he was “running a government that extends a helping hand to every family” in the state.
The Chief Minister was responding to Modi’s jibe at a public meeting on March 4 that the DMK was upset as it is not “being able” to loot from Central schemes as they reach the beneficiaries directly.
“I don’t have to explain in detail how the state is suffering due to the partiality shown by the Union Government. The Prime Minister has propagated a blatant lie a few days back that the Centre was giving money to people directly. If he had named those people, we could have gone and asked them,” the Chief Minister said.
As many as eight districts in the state faced unprecedented floods in December last year that led to huge loss of damage to infrastructure, Stalin said, and accused the Union Government of not sending “even a single rupee” despite demanding Rs 37,000 crore in relief.
“Though we didn’t get any assistance from the Centre, the state government spent Rs 3,406.77 crore in handing out financial assistance to the affected and in relief from its own funds and from the State Disaster Relief Fund. This is how this government led by Muthuvel Karunanidhi Stalin is serving the people,” Stalin added.
The BJP and DMK have been involved in a war of words on the issue of share of funds to states from the Union Government. While the DMK government says the share has reduced, the Centre says otherwise.