Want to oppose DMK to maintain bipolar politics: KP Munusamy

CHENNAI: AIADMK MLA K P Munusamy on Friday endorsed the political bipolarity in the State and said that they cannot support the ruling DMK beyond a point and they must oppose the government for the political dichotomy to continue in the state. The comment evoked veiled endorsement even from the treasury benches.

"Only if we oppose you (DMK), you will continue in the treasury bench and we will be in the opposition. And in the future, we will be there (treasury bench) and you will be here," said Munusamy and alluded that Dravidian majors should stick to their role.

Munusamy, pointing out the DMK's poll promises, questioned when the ruling party would fulfill its promise of enhancing the wage under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) scheme to Rs 300 and increase the number of workdays from 100 to 150 days.

Minister for Rural Development I Periyasamy intervened and said the scheme was fully funded by the Union Government. However, it has reduced the fund allocation for the MGNREGA scheme from Rs 85,000 crore to Rs 60,000 crore.

Previously, the government was even struggling to pay a wage of Rs 200 to the workers of MGNREGA scheme.

After the DMK came to power, the wage has been gradually increased upto Rs 281/day. "If the DMK supported government was in power at the Centre, we would have increased the number of workdays to 150 days, " he said and added that they have introduced the scheme on pilot basis in Town Panchayats.

Responding to Munusamy's remark that their party founder and former CM M G Ramachandran introduced the Noon Meal scheme for the students, Finance Minister P T R Palanivel Thiaga Rajan said the former Chief Minister launched the scheme by increasing the VAT by 1%.

Now, the state government under the GST regime has no autonomous power to make such a move.

Apart from this, the Union government has introduced several criteria that restrict the borrowing power nor permit bring in changes in taxation, he said and noted that then Chief Minister Narendra Modi (Gujarat) and J Jayalalithaa (TN) vehemently opposed it back then.

He further said that the DMK government's efficient finance management enabled to spend Rs 1 lakh crore in one time spending schemes and Rs 45,000 crore in schemes with recurring expenditures in the last two years.