Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
Tags:
Journalism of Courage
To spread the central government’s alleged discrimination towards Tamil Nadu in allocating funds, the functionaries of ruling DMK party on Thursday distributed ‘halwa’ to the people in several places, including Tirunelveli, a city known for the traditional dessert.
Wrapped in black and red representing DMK flag and labelled ‘Zero’, the halwa packs were also given to the passengers at Kalaignar Centenary Bus Terminus (KCBT) at Kilambakkam near Chennai to take a dig at the central government that gave “Zero rupees to Tamil Nadu” in the interim Budget presented recently or during the floods.
In Tirunelveli, DMK organising secretary R S Bharathi led the party workers who carried a banner written ‘Zero’ in bold font and raised slogans against the Centre for its step-motherly treatment to the southern state. He distributed the sweets to all the shop owners, and others who had assembled in the area.
Listing out the indifferent attitude of the Centre, Bharathi told reporters in Tirunelveli town that PM Modi-led government had laid the foundation stone for AIIMS in Madurai several years ago but till now no further steps were taken towards the construction of the hospital.
“Recently, the floods created havoc in the state which was never seen in the last 100 years. The residents of Thoothukudi suffered the most. The entire state was reeling under the deluge. Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman came here, went to the temple but did not provide even a single paisa to the state as flood relief fund. Similarly, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh came…They (Union Government) appointed a team of officials to assess the damage in the flood-affected regions but till now we haven’t received any funds,” he said.
The DMK leader noted that they are not imploring the Union Government but asking for something that is their rights. He alleged that for every single rupee given to the Union Government, the state got back only 26 paise.
“From Tirunelveli, the place popular for halwa, people are going to ‘halwa’ (a colloquial term meaning fool) Modi. They will not win a single seat in Tamil Nadu,” he said and added that the protest was organised to send across that message to the BJP.
Meanwhile in Delhi, MPs from the ruling DMK and its allies staged a demonstration near the Gandhi statue in Parliament complex in protest against not disbursing requisite funds to Tamil Nadu in the interim Budget.
Clad in black, the members carrying placards that read: ‘We protest against the union government’s financial injustice’, ‘Don’t Suppress Opposition’, ‘Don’t Crumble Federalism,’ raised slogans against the central government.
Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram
