DMK holds protest against Centre for “neglecting” Tamil Nadu in Union Budget

Chennai: Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) on Saturday held protests across Tamil Nadu against the Centre, alleging that the state was neglected in the Union Budget 2024.

The protest comes ahead of the 9th NITI Aayog’s Governing Council meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Rashtrapati Bhavan Cultural Centre in the national capital.

Earlier, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin attacked the Bharatiya Janata Party government over the Union Budget and said that the budget seems like a “vengeful act” against the States and people who boycotted the BJP.

“Vanakkam! I was supposed to attend the ‘NITI Aayog’ meeting currently being held in Delhi, chaired by the Prime Minister. However, I am compelled to speak before you, in the people’s forum, seeking justice due to the discriminatory attitude towards Tamil Nadu reflected in Union Budget 2024,” Stalin said.

தலைநகரில் @NITIAayog கூட்டத்தில் பங்கெடுத்திருக்க வேண்டிய நாளில், ஒன்றிய பா.ஜ.க. அரசின் வஞ்சனையால், நீதி கேட்டு மக்கள் மன்றத்தில்…#UnfairBudget4TN pic.twitter.com/L2rqtORNvD

— M.K.Stalin (@mkstalin) July 27, 2024

“You are all well aware of the progressive and visionary schemes of your Dravidian Model Government in Tamil Nadu, which have been implemented over the past three years! The benefits of our government schemes directly reach every family–every citizen! This is why the DMK is achieving continuous success! ‘New schemes everyday, people’s heart filled with joy’. This is the motto of our government! Yet, the Union Government continues to engage in actions that are contrary to our progressive thoughts,” Stalin said.

The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister further said that the Union government continued to disregard Tamil Nadu. Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, while presenting a Union Budget 2024-25, made major announcements for Bihar and Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday, including a boost in infrastructure.

Notably, on Thursday, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Stalin was the first to announce his boycott of Niti Ayog’s meeting. Following this, the Congress said its chief ministers, including Himachal Pradesh’s Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu, Karnataka’s Siddaramaiah and Telangana’s Revanth Reddy, would also skip the meeting.

This year’s theme of NITI Aayog’s meeting is ‘Viksit Bharat@2047’, with a central focus on making India a developed nation. The Governing Council Meeting will discuss the Approach Paper for the Vision Document on Viksit Bharat @2047.

The meeting aims to foster participative governance and collaboration between the central and State governments, enhancing the quality of life for both rural and urban populations by strengthening the delivery mechanisms of government interventions.