"Tamil Nadu has been given highest budget for railways...": MoS Jitendra Singh on DMK protest over Union Budget

Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], July 27 : Calling the Union Budget "futuristic," Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Saturday dismissed the allegations levied against the Centre that it did not give enough funds to the southern states where the Bharatiya Janata Party did not fare well in the elections and said that Tamil Nadu was given the highest budget for railways compared to other states.
The Union Minister's remarks come after several opposition-ruled states, including Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, announced they would boycott the meeting.
"If you all see this budget, it's a futuristic budget. It is the dream of our PM Modi's 2047. Tamil Nadu has been given the highest budget for railways compared to other states. Tamil Nadu has 6 Vande Bharat trains running, the highest in the country. Then why are they (DMK) protesting?" Singh said at the Tamil Nadu BJP interaction programme with entrepreneurs and professionals on Union Budget 2024.
The BJP minister also highlighted PM Modi's special regard for Tamil culture and said that "Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji is so fond of Tamil Nadu. The PM loves Tamil people and Tamil culture. He likes Tamil Nadu a lot and he has a special place for Tamil Nadu in his heart."
The Union Minister refuted claims made by the Stalin government that the Budget 2024 was a vengeful act by the Centre to punish the state as it did not vote for the BJP.
"In every aspect, Tamil Nadu is either getting equally or more. Even the Congress doesn't have anything to criticise in our Union Budget. All they say is it's our budget. They don't have any points to criticise. Instead of politicising it, Prime Minister Modi is not only the PM of the BJP. He is PM of DMK. He is PM of Congress. He is the PM of the country," he added.
Singh further asserted that special emphasis has been given to topics like startups, employment in the budget.
"This is a futuristic budget. Special emphasis has been given to topics like startups, employment, etc. The Angel Tax has been removed. Emphasis has also been laid on women's empowerment. We have now opened public and private partnerships for the space sector. India's space economy will grow 5 times in the next 10 years," he said.
After the Congress and opposition CMs boycotted the NITI Aayog meeting chaired by PM Modi, Union MoS L Murugan said that Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin's not attending the meeting was a "total failure of democracy."
"MK Stalin always gives false hope to the people of Tamil Nadu. He is always confused and he wants to create a political drama in the name of NEET. MK Stalin is boycotting the NITI Aayog meeting, and this is a total failure of democracy," Murugan said.
On the NITI Aayog meeting, Bihar Minister Nitin Nabin attacked Congress and said that Congress is known for doing "appeasement politics."
"Congress has this mentality from the starting that they have to do politics in the development work as well. Today is a meeting for the discussion on the development work, NITI Aayog is not a BJP structure. NITI Aayog, whenever it holds a meeting, it is to decide the development model of the state. It is a federal structure...But the problem is Congress is there for doing appeasement politics only. They are left with no issues; therefore, they are now boycotting the NITI Aayog meeting," Nitin Nabin said.
The 9th NITI Aayog's Governing Council meeting is being chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Rashtrapati Bhavan Cultural Centre in the national capital today.
Meanwhile, DMK is staged a state-wide protest in all the district headquarters in the state against the Union Budget presented on July 23, alleging that Tamil Nadu has been "neglected" in the budget.
Earlier, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin attacked the Bharatiya Janata Party government over the Union Budget and said that the budget seems like a "vengeful act" against the States and people who boycotted the BJP.
"You are all well aware of the progressive and visionary schemes of your Dravidian Model Government in Tamil Nadu, which have been implemented over the past three years! The benefits of our government schemes directly reach every family--every citizen! This is why the DMK is achieving continuous success! 'New schemes everyday, people's hearts filled with joy'. This is the motto of our government! Yet, the Union Government continues to engage in actions that are contrary to our progressive thoughts," Stalin said.
This year's theme of NITI Aayog's meeting is 'Viksit Bharat@2047', with a central focus on making India a developed nation. The Governing Council Meeting will discuss the Approach Paper for the Vision Document on Viksit Bharat @2047.