Stalin went into a huddle with INDIA bloc leaders when TN battled against rains: Nirmala Sitharaman

NEW DELHI: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday hit out at Chief Minister M K Stalin for taking part in INDIA bloc meeting here on December 19 instead of being with the people when Tamil Nadu was pounded by torrential rains and battered by floods.

“When the state was going through a disaster, Chief Minister Stalin was holding discussions at the INDIA alliance meeting in Delhi,” she said.

Speaking to reporters, the Minister demanded to know why Stalin did not give ‘priority’ to southern Tamil Nadu at a time when it was pounded by very heavy rains and instead he chose to participate in the alliance’s meeting in Delhi.

She said he should have conveyed to INDIA bloc leaders that he would be with the people at the time of disaster and that he shall visit them later.

Whatever funding that is required to be released to the state by Centre, it would be done. Stalin, however, only demanded that the Centre release Rs 12,000 crore to Rs 14,000 crore for damage without being with the people on the ground.

She raised questions over the state government ‘spend’ of ‘Rs 4,000 crore’ for flood mitigation, stormwater drain related work in Chennai and ‘contradictory’ claims, allegedly made by a Tamil Nadu Minister in connection with expenses. While the Centre deployed NDRF personnel well in advance, the Tamil Nadu government officials did not act expeditiously, she alleged.

On Tamil Nadu’s demand that the Centre announce TN rains-floods as ‘national disaster,’ she said that there is no system or practice in the Central government to designate a particular disaster in a region as a national disaster.

No disaster in any state including Uttarakhand has been termed a national disaster, she said, adding this has never been done by the government.

However, if a state government wished to term a particular disaster as a state-level disaster, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs has issued guidelines in this regard.

“Tamil Nadu can use 10 per cent of their state allocation for any local level disaster. This is with the state government.” Stalin took part in the INDIA bloc meet here on December 19. Southern Tamil Nadu, including Thoothukudi district, battled against very heavy rains on December 18 and 19, which commenced on December 17.

Asked if she sought Stalin’s resignation, she said “I am not responding to this question.” To a question on TN Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin reportedly asking the Centre if the relief fund to Tamil Nadu, “is your father’s money,” she said Udhayanidhi’s grandfather late M Karunanidhi was a great Tamil scholar.

However, ‘their language’ had all along been similar and it was seen in the Sanatana Dharma episode as well. The Minister should mind his language and speak responsibly as he is in a responsible position.