Chief Minister M.K. Stalin announced a ₹75.95 crore ‘kuruvai’ special package on Monday.
Speaking to reporters after opening the shutters of Mettur dam for irrigation in the delta region, the Chief Minister said that this special package included urea, D.A.P., potash, paddy seeds, power tillers, and a subsidy for power weeders. The farmers should utilise the opportunity and use water judiciously, he added.
“Due to this special package, kuruvai crop cultivation would cross five lakh acres this year. At present, kuruvai paddy sowing work has been completed on 1.06 lakh acres of land in the delta region using groundwater. This year, we sanctioned ₹90 crore for desilting channels in the delta region. I myself inspected the desilting work at Thanjavur with Ministers. Last year, as water was released from Mettur dam much earlier, kuruvai cultivation crossed 5.36 lakh acres. and paddy production touched 12.76 lakh tonnes,” Mr. Stalin added.
Replying to former Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami’s charge that DMK claimed credit for projects brought in by the AIADMK, Mr. Stalin listed out the projects launched by the present government.
On Union Minister Amit Shah’s comment that a Prime Minister should come from Tamil Nadu, Mr. Stalin said, “We do not know why Mr. Shah was angry at Prime Minister Modi. If they (the BJP) have that thought to make a Tamilian a Prime Minister candidate, Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan and Union Minister L. Murugan may get a chance.” .
Refusing to reply to Mr. Shah’s remark that the DMK had stopped Tamilians from becoming Prime Minister twice, Chief Minister Stalin said if “Mr. Shah expressed that comment openly, we would give our explanation“.
Alleging that Mr. Shah did not give an answer to his challenge to list out BJP achievements in the past nine years in Tamil Nadu, Mr. Stalin said: “I clearly said there were no special projects given by the BJP to Tamil Nadu in the past nine years and listed the projects brought during the DMK-Congress alliance at the Centre (2004–14). Did Mr. Shah not read it or did no one explain this to him?”
Replying to the Home Minister’s charge that big corruption took place during DMK-Congress rule at the Centre, Mr. Stalin said that the Union Minister should first answer for the alleged scam in Rafale and Adani issues.
