Demand from states for funds based on taxes 'petty thinking': Piyush Goyal

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Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal on Saturday said the demand by some states that they should get central funds in proportion to their contribution of taxes to the central kitty was "petty thinking" and "unfortunate."  Prime Minister Narendra Modi is of the view that if the country is to prosper, the eight states of the Northeast and eastern Indian states like Bihar, West Bengal, Odisha and Jharkhand must develop, he said.  The BJP leader was speaking at the 'Rashtriya Ekatmata Yatra 2025', an event organised here by the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and the 'Students Experience in Inter-State Living (SEIL)' initiative.

In the last 11 years, the Modi government's "laser focus", like that of Arjuna of the Mahabharata, was on the Northeast and eastern states, the minister added. "It is unfortunate that some states and some leaders...I don't want to politicise it but some leaders from Maharashtra used to say....leaders of the earlier government which was there for two and a half years, they used to calculate the tax paid by Mumbai and Maharashtra and (demand) it should get back that much amount (of central funds)," said Goyal, MP from Mumbai North.  He was apparently referring to the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government.  "There are some states like Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana which say they should get back the amount of taxes they have paid. There can't be any (greater) petty thinking ("chhoti soch") than this.  There can not be anything (more) unfortunate than this," he said. But there was no need to worry now as the present BJP-led government in Maharashtra is very sensitive towards Northeast India, the minister added.  The Modi government, for the last 11 years, has been following "Act East" and "Look East" policy, prioritising Northeast India, said Goyal.

Under the Modi government, the capitals of the northeastern states are being connected by railway and a network of highways is being built, he said.  PM Modi has visited the Northeast more than 65 times, he noted, and urged the people to visit the region at least once to see its beauty and culture.