Daijiworld Media Network – Chennai

Chennai, Oct 18: Tamil Nadu Finance Minister Thangam Thennarasu has accused the Union government of “systematic and deliberate discrimination” against the state and demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi respond to ten questions on what he called the Centre’s “biased fiscal policies” and erosion of cooperative federalism.

Speaking in the Assembly, Thennarasu alleged that the Centre had denied Tamil Nadu its rightful share of funds while favouring BJP-ruled states in allocations for infrastructure, welfare, and development projects. “The Union government is punishing performing states like Tamil Nadu for their efficiency. This is a betrayal of federal fairness,” he said.

Listing specific grievances, the Minister said the state was owed Rs 4,000 crore in education funds under the Right to Education scheme and Rs 3,407 crore under the Jal Jeevan Mission. He also pointed out that not one of the eight new expressways announced by the Union government had been sanctioned for Tamil Nadu, while states like Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, and Maharashtra “cornered all major highway projects.”

Thennarasu further claimed that Uttar Pradesh alone received Rs 19,858 crore in railway allocations this year, while Tamil Nadu had received only Rs 19,068 crore over three years, and metro projects for Madurai and Coimbatore remain pending.

Among his ten questions to PM Modi, the Minister sought answers on the drop in Tamil Nadu’s tax share, pending GST compensation, NHAI dues, borrowing curbs, and non-approval of key projects.

Meanwhile, BJP state vice-president Jayaprakash dismissed the charges as “petty politics,” saying, “The Prime Minister looks at India as a whole. Comparing Tamil Nadu with a developing state like Uttar Pradesh is like comparing apples with oranges.”

Thennarasu concluded, “Tamil Nadu is not asking for favours, only for fairness. Fiscal justice is not charity — it is a constitutional right.”