New Delhi: During the budget discussions that began in the Union House on Monday, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman rebuked DMK member P Wilson for claiming that Tamil Nadu was neglected in the Union Budget. Highlighting the various initiatives announced in the Budget for the poll-hit state, she said “blanket statements like this, which are without any basis, linked to the Budget tabled eight days ago, are simply not correct”. The DMK and AIADMK also attacked each other over announcements and projects in Tamil Nadu while participating in the debate on the Union Budget in the Union House. In his speech, Wilson claimed that “for many years, Tamil Nadu has argued that the federal government’s approach to tax devolution has systematically disadvantaged developed and high-performing states, including Tamil Nadu”. “If Tamil Nadu is your top-performing state, you should cherish and showcase the state instead of weakening it at every turn. We achieved 11.4 per cent growth last year. Why is there such discrimination,” he questioned. “Madam, everything you give to Tamil Nadu comes back to you. Since you have given nothing, nothing will come back to you. Tamil Nadu is the crown jewel of India. We are the best performing state in India… I call on the Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister to treat Tamil Nadu fairly,” Wilson said. The FM refuted his claim saying “one thing worth noting is that Tamil Nadu is not getting new projects, which is absolutely wrong”. neural network
