New Delhi, Oct 22 (IANS): Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa Saturday hit out at the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government, accusing it of penalizing non-Congress governments and termed several of its measures as "fascist and anti-democratic".

"The central government seems to be hell-bent on penalizing non-Congress governments," she said in her speech in the National Development Council (NDC) meeting here.

"This government at the centre doesn't seem to understand that the people living in the states under non-Congress governments are as much citizens of India as those in states where the Congress party is in power," she said.

Despite repeated requests for special assistance, funds have not been provided to Tamil Nadu, while a special package has been given to West Bengal for the only reason that the present ruling party in West Bengal is an ally of the UPA, Jayalalithaa stated.

"This only indicates that stepmotherly treatment is being given to non-Congress governments," she added.

The chief minister also slammed the government for the proposed communal violence bill and said that it was trying to bring a General Sales Tax (GST) bill without allying the apprehensions of the states.

"Several measures proposed by the central government in recent months are all fascist and anti-democratic in nature," she said, referring to the proposed communal violence bill.

Touching on the issue of price rise, she said the actions of the UPA government have miserably failed and are even counter-productive.

The NDC meeting is being convened more as a "ritualistic exercise" rather than to achieve a tangible outcome, Jayalalithaa added.