Former Minister Udhayakumar questions DMK’s claims on bringing down fiscal deficit

Former Revenue Minister R.B. Udhayakumar said that while the erstwhile Edappadi K Palaniswami’s government delivered social welfare schemes the DMK government had chosen to suspend them abruptly

Former Revenue Minister and sitting AIADMK MLA R.B. Udhayakumar on Friday questioned the Tamil Nadu government’s statement on having brought down the fiscal deficit to 3.25%-3.35% from 4.61%.

Speaking to reporters in Madurai, he said the DMK government had increased property tax, effected hike on electricity tariff across board since September 10 and among others on the one hand and on the other hand, it had suspended welfare schemes, to name a few, “Thaalikku Thangam” (gold for marriage), laptops for school students, two-wheeler for working women without any valid reason.

While seeking votes, the DMK president M.K. Stalin had promised “everything under the roof”, while apparently he knew that it was not going to be implemented. The people are shocked. The voters have been misled. Every stakeholder in the society is deeply anguished over the DMK’s treatment, he claimed.

According to him, while the erstwhile Edappadi K Palaniswami’s government delivered social welfare schemes for the needy, below poverty line individuals and the orphans, the DMK government had chosen to suspend or stop them abruptly. “Are they running a government or managing a household to cut costs,” Mr. Udhayakumar questioned and said that the government had the responsibility to take care of the poor and spending on them cannot be stopped at any cost.

When many people in Tamil Nadu felt that the Finance Minister PTR Palanivel Thiaga Rajan, with his rich academic background and as a professional in finance, would give them relief as claimed by the DMK leaders, he had only failed to rise up to the occasion, he charged. Many of the DMK MLAs had expressed concern over the manner in which the finances were managed in Tamil Nadu, Mr Udhayakumar claimed and hoped at least now, without blowing the trumpet, the government would act earnestly and give relief to the needy.

At a press conference held in Chennai, the Finance Minister said that Tamil Nadu’s inflation was 5%, while others recorded an inflation of 7%, based on a data released by the Centre. He said that proper management, if done in implementation of every scheme and transparent spending, the State would well achieve its goal of remaining acless inflation State in the coming year.

Attributing that the State remained revenue neutral till 2014, he said things went out of control only after the demise of the late AIADMK leader and Chief Minister Jayalalithaa.