TN government diverting Central funds to ‘Mahalir Urimai Thogai’ scheme, says Annamalai

Reiterating that Tamil Nadu government was diverting Central funds meant for the welfare of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes to the yet-to-be-launched ‘Mahalir Urimai Thogai’ scheme, BJP State president K. Annamalai has said that it would come to light during the Comptroller and Auditor General’s audit.

Reiterating that Tamil Nadu government was diverting Central funds meant for the welfare of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes to the yet-to-be-launched ‘Mahalir Urimai Thogai’ scheme, BJP State president K. Annamalai has said that it would come to light during the Comptroller and Auditor General’s audit.

Addressing a meeting in Palayamkottai where he resumed his ‘En Mann En Makkal’ yatra on Saturday, Mr. Annamalai said, “the DMK promised financial assistance for all women. Then the government put a lot of unrealistic riders and conditions for getting ‘Mahalir Urimai Thogai’. After we raised the issue at the beginning of the yatra, the government has included a few more categories of women as beneficiaries.”

“Even now, only 70 lakh women are eligible in Tamil Nadu to get the assistance and over 1.50 crore women have been rejected. It is the biggest fraud in Indian politics. Of the ₹7,000 crore allocated for this scheme, ₹1,400 crore given by the Centre for SC and ST people has been diverted for this scheme. This will come out in the CAG audit,” Mr. Annamalai said adding that the women of Tamil Nadu should be given ₹27,000 in the first month as the DMK government was launching the scheme after assuming office 27 months ago.

The BJP president blamed the DMK for failing to protect the Tamirbharani river from pollution. Like the Union Government allotted huge sum of money for cleaning the Ganges, Mr. Stalin should earmark sufficient funds for cleaning the holy river surrounded by holy places like ‘Navatirupathi’.

“While this government is keen on tracking the liquor being sent in trucks from the distillery units to the outlets, the Stalin-led government cannot track the ration rice being sent to the shops, minerals being smuggled from Tamil Nadu to Kerala and conserve a perennial river from being polluted,” said the BJP leader, who walked for about 3 kms from Samathanapuram to Ramar Temple in Palayamkottai.

The BJP president mocked the ongoing tussle between Tirunelveli Corporation Mayor and the DMK councillors over sharing the ‘commission’ being extracted from the contractors executing various works.

Former Mayor of Tirunelveli Corporation Bhuvaneshwari, who started her political career with the AIADMK and then joined the DMK after the demise of late Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, joined the BJP as Mr. Annamalai was crossing Samathanapuram traffic island after presenting him a shawl and books.