DMK's budget corrupt, for mere publicity: BJP's Annamalai slams TN govt

Tamil Nadu BJP President K Annamalai slammed the DMK government over its fifth budget and claimed that the State budget presented offers nothing more than "empty announcements for publicity" and "commits thousands of crores of corruption" every year.

"It is no wonder that the budget released by the DMK every year is so empty, containing nothing but empty announcements for publicity, without fulfilling any election promises, and only committing thousands of crores of corruption," posted Annamalai on X.

Annamalai's post on X was accompanied by a photo showing empty chairs, symbolising what he described as the lack of substance and accountability in the DMK's budget.

This comes after Tamil Nadu Finance Minister Thangam Thennarasu presented the fifth budget of the DMK government.

Amidst the row over the implementation of the National Education Policy and the implementation of the third language, the state government announced that it would use its own funds for government schools.

Finance Minister Thangam Thennarasu, in his budget speech, made the announcement saying the State Government has allocated funds, including salaries of teachers, from its own resources to ensure that the education of Government school students remains unaffected, even in the slightest way.

Minister Thangam Thennarasu also mentioned that the Government is very strong in the two-language policy despite the challenging situation.

"Under the 'Samagra Shiksha' scheme, the State Government has been successfully implementing various student welfare schemes for the past seven years," he said.

"However, this year the Union Government cheated us by not releasing 2,152 crores to the State for not accepting NEP, which encourages a three language system. Though the Union Government didn't release the required funds, the State government allocated its funds for the welfare of government school students for teacher salary and other expenses. Even in the time of challenging situation after losing 2,000 crores, we stand beside CM on the two language policy," the Finance Minister added.

"By unflinchingly following the bilingual policy, Tamil Nadu not only preserved the Tamil culture but also empowered its youth with English proficiency, to rise with strength on the global stage with their unquenchable thirst for knowledge and success," he further added.

The Minister informed that initiatives such as the 'Ennum Ezhuthum Thittam' to ensure foundational literacy, special education for differently-abled children, transport allowances for students from remote areas, salary for teachers, guidance for higher education to shape students' future, art festivals to nurture unique talents, educational tours and infrastructure development, including internet facilities in schools, are in progress.