Stalin ruined T.N. finances by borrowing ₹3.5 lakh crore in three years, says EPS

AIADMK leader criticizes DMK's financial management, poll promises, and dynasty politics ahead of Lok Sabha elections.

Continuing to train his guns on the DMK in the run-up to the April 19 Lok Sabha poll, AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami on Tuesday night hit out at Chief Minister M. K. Stalin on the issue of handling Tamil Nadu’s finances. He said ever since the DMK took over the reins of the State three years ago, it had availed of ₹3.50 lakh crore loan to leave the State’s finances in doldrums, despite not having implemented any major project.

Addressing an election meeting in Tirunelveli town while canvassing votes for AIADMK’s Tirunelveli candidate M. Jancy Rani, he charged that this loan had to be repaid with interest from the money to be collected from the people in the form of hefty taxes.

After making 560 poll promises in 2021, the DMK had forgotten about those. Even after promising all women heads of families a monthly aid of ₹1,000, the assistance was given only to “eligible women”, after the AIADMK raised it repeatedly, he said.

Mr. Palaniswami said his government, with the cordial relationship it had with the Centre, was able to get permission for starting 11 government medical colleges and 6 law colleges in just one year and allocated sufficient funds for establishing these colleges with hospitals.

 “Unfortunately, Mr. Stalin, who could not get permission for even one medical college in the past 3 years, is now inaugurating the medical colleges we got during our tenure,” Mr. Palaniswami said.

He also accused the Tamil Nadu government of failing to get NEET waiver and create new employment opportunities even as inflation was impacting the public. Even though DMK’s Gandhi Selvan was the Union Health Minister, he was not bothered to obtain exemption for Tamil Nadu from NEET when it was introduced in December 2010, he said. The DMK that got the people’s vote by promising to get NEET waiver was still “cheating them”, Mr. Palaniswami added.

“However, the AIADMK ensured 7.5% reservation for the government school students in getting medical admission,” Mr. Palaniswami said.