BJP T.N. president K. Annamalai has said the Central government has given ₹11 lakh crore to Tamil Nadu over the past 10 years, and most of these funds were transferred directly to the people.
Campaigning for Tamil Maanila Congress candidate P. Vijayakumar in Chithode for the Erode Parliamentary constituency on Thursday, April 4, 2024, Mr. Annamalai said 37,838 concrete houses were constructed in Erode district under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana scheme, while 95,782 farmers have so far received ₹30,000 under the PM-Kisan Samman Nidhi in the district.
“Most of the funds for various schemes were transferred directly to the bank accounts of the beneficiaries and not through the State government,” he said and criticised T.N. Sports Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin for stating that the Centre returns only 28 paise for every rupee the State pays as tax. “The Minister lacks basic knowledge. This is the fund that the Centre allots directly to the State in the budget,” he said.
Taking a dig at Chief Minister M.K. Stalin for stating that the Lower Bhavani Project (LBP) canal benefits 3 lakh acres, the BJP leader said the government records shows the canal irrigates 2.07 lakh acres and people are aware of this. “But the Chief Minister is unaware,” he said.
The BJP leader said Erode was the only constituency in the State that was represented by three Ministers: S. Muthusamy from Erode, N. Kayalvizhi from Dharapuram and M.P. Saminathan. However, he said, the problems of the downtrodden remained unresolved. “The Ministers did nothing for their constituencies,” he alleged and asked, “Will their [the DMK] MP do anything if elected?”
Mr. Annamalai said the cases of cancer were high in Erode and promised to establish an integrated cancer hospital for treatment. Also, he said sewage treatment plants would be established to solve the pollution problems caused by textile units.
