FM Thangam Thennarasu reels out 4-yr achievements, fires poll salvo at rivals

CHENNAI: Virtually going on a campaign mode in the tenure’s last full-budget reply in the Assembly, State Finance Minister Thangam Thennarasu on Friday drew a parallel between the Union and State budgets and compared the achievements of the incumbent DMK tenure and the previous AIADMK regime’s 10-years of rule.

Presenting a report card of the four-year DMK tenure helmed by Chief Minister MK Stalin in the House, Thennarasu, in his budget reply said that the Union budget was only meant for a few states of India, particularly Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. However, the State budget was prepared not only to benefit citizens in the farthest corner of Tamil Nadu, to ensure equitable distribution of growth to all districts, unmindful of the unfavourable electoral conditions to the party in some places, he said.

Pointing out that the Union budget allocated Rs 19,068 crore for railway projects in Tamil Nadu in the last three years, he said that the budgetary allocation for railway projects in Uttar Pradesh in the 2025-26 Union Budget alone was Rs 19,858 crore. “You can easily draw the distinction between the central and TN budget from it. Though we have been vengefully denied funds, TN started executing CMRL-II using its own funds,” Thennarasu said.

‘Centre’s modern Kula Kalvi’

It is worrisome that the BJP-led Centre continued to impose modern Kula Kalvi schemes like NEET and CUET, which is detrimental to the education of the poor and rural students and first generation graduate aspirants of the State, the minister remarked.

Referring to the Kalaignar Mahalir Urimai Thogai (KMUT) scheme, Thennarasu said, “Many wondered how we will implement it. Shattering all their deceitful expectations, a whopping 1.15 crore women are receiving Rs 1,000 every month.” Citing media reports suggesting that about 15 lakh people were removed from the beneficiary list under a similar scheme in BJP-ruled Maharashtra, Thennarasu said, “They announced the scheme for elections in Maharashtra. But, they removed 15 lakh beneficiaries and claimed credit for saving Rs 46,000 crore to the State exchequer.”

‘Kumba your pride, libraries ours’

Subtly criticising the BJP’s celebration of the enormity of Kumba Mela footfall, the minister said that about 14 lakh people visited the Kalaignar Centenary Library in Madurai and six lakh visited the Keezhadi Museum, which is the pride of the Dravidian model regime. Criticising the caste discrimination-promoting PM Vishwakarma scheme, Thennarasu said that as many as 7,297 applications were received for Kalaignar Kaivinai thittam.

Who did it big?

The minister said that only 2,105 StartUps were registered in TN till May 2021, but the efforts made in four years increased it fivefold to 10,649, making the state a pioneer in StartUp.

The number of MSMEs increased from 14.17 lakh in 2021 to 32.10 lakh in four years. Describing the burgeoning TIDEL and mini-TIDEL parks of the DMK tenure as proud symbols of the region and encouragement to youths, he said that the regime created a great record by implementing the CM’s Breakfast scheme, something the AIADMK could not do in 10 years despite it featuring in two of its poll manifestos.