Coimbatore, Feb 26: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday refuted Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin's claims that the Centre had meted out financial injustice to the state. Addressing a gathering after inaugurating the BJP party office in Coimbatore, Shah described Stalin’s remarks on fund allocation and delimitation as diversionary tactics.
Dismissing the allegations, Shah asserted that the Narendra Modi-led government had allocated ₹5,08,337 crore to Tamil Nadu between 2014 and 2024. He also accused Stalin of spreading misinformation about the delimitation process, emphasizing that no southern state, including Tamil Nadu, would see a reduction in Parliamentary representation when the process is carried out on a pro-rata basis.
Sharpening his attack on the ruling DMK government, Shah alleged that law and order had deteriorated in Tamil Nadu. He criticized the state administration for providing security during the last rites of SA Basha, the mastermind behind the 1998 Coimbatore bomb blasts. He further accused the state government of allowing the drug mafia to operate freely and blamed illegal mining mafias for corrupting politics.
"All the leaders of DMK have got a Master's degree in corruption," Shah remarked, adding that while people in Tamil Nadu are troubled by several issues, Stalin and his son, Udhayanidhi Stalin, are focusing on diversionary tactics.
Referring to the March 5 all-party meeting convened by the Tamil Nadu government on delimitation, Shah said, "They are organizing a meeting claiming that they won’t allow any injustice to the south. But the Modi government has already clarified in the Lok Sabha that no southern state will lose a single seat after delimitation."
Confident of BJP’s future electoral success in the state, Shah predicted that the NDA would form the government in Tamil Nadu after next year’s Assembly elections, with a victory bigger than its recent wins in Maharashtra and Haryana.
During the event, Shah also virtually inaugurated BJP party offices in Tiruvannamalai and Ramanathapuram.