AIADMK regime's inaction invited HC censure on finance: DMK

A day after Madras High Court pulled up Tamil Nadu government for non-allocation of funds to judiciary, DMK Treasurer M K Stalin today said the situation had arisen because the AIADMK regime did not take steps to improve its financial management.

Stating that judiciary was one of the pillars of democracy, he said the state government did not even disburse Rs 9.41 crore for procurement of office furniture and equipment for the judiciary.

"This is condemnable... It is an attempt to put a spoke in judiciary's wheel which upholds the rule of law. Only under such circumstances, the judiciary has asked the state government whether it proposed to declare financial emergency," Stalin, leader of the Opposition in the state assembly, said in a statement here.
 

"In the history of Tamil Nadu government's financial management, no other regime has been censured like this by the high court. AIADMK regime should bow its head in shame in the people's court," he said.

The high court yesterday took a serious view of non-allocation of funds to the judiciary and sought an affidavit from the State Finance Secretary as to whether the government "is proposing to declare a financial emergency."

Stalin said DMK had been "pointing out the poor financial management with over Rs four lakh crore debt and saying that the financial management should be set right."

However, Finance Minister O Panneerselvam did not even make "little efforts" to correct the situation and focussed his attention on "showering praises" on Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, he charged.

As a result of not taking efforts, the court has sought to know if there was a proposal to declare financial emergency by the state government, he said.

Terming the poser as "very suitable," he said the schemes announced in the budget too remained on paper.

Now, the court's view has brought to fore that the AIADMK regime "is not allocating funds for not only people's welfare schemes but also for the judiciary."

He said Tamil Nadu has slipped to 18th rank in ease of doing business and to 20th place in farm sector growth. Now, he alleged that the AIADMK regime was "pushing the State to a financial emergency to completely ruin Tamil Nadu's growth."

The financial management should be revamped at least now after the condemnation of the high court. The State government should immediately sanction requisite fund for the judiciary, he stressed.