Chennai: A day after Amit Shah presented his list of the centre's contribution to Tamil Nadu, Chief Minister MK Stalin said "Amit Shah did not answer any of my questions", teeing off a fresh war-of-words with the ruling party at the centre.
It all began on Saturday when Amit Shah arrived in Chennai ahead of his Sunday public meeting in Vellore on 9 years of the Modi government. Speaking at a public meeting in Salem district, Mr Stalin had dared the Home Minister to give a list of special projects the BJP had brought to the state over the last nine years.
Responding to MK Stalin's challenge, Amit Shah listed the union government's contribution to the southern state. He claimed the centre had allotted 2.47 lakh crore to the state in 9 years against 95,000 crore during the 10-year rule of the Manmohan Singh-led UPA government and had released 72,000 crore for Chennai metro rail.
Mr Shah said 56 lakh farmers from Tamil Nadu received Rs 6,000 every year from the centre. 84 lakh drinking water connections were given in the state, 2 crore people were treated under Ayush scheme, 62,5 lakh toilets were built for poor and two Vande Bharat trains for the state, added Mr Shah.
However, MK Stalin brushed these aside saying this is "a constitutional duty of the union government to all states and Tamil Nadu would have received these even if another government was in power".
He added: "My question is clear, what are the special schemes to Tamil Nadu the BJP brought?"
His list of special schemes to the state by the UPA government under Dr Manmohan Singh included Chennai Metro Rail, Desalination plant in Chennai, Sethusamudram project, 2 Central Universities including one at Thiruvarur, classical language status for Tamil, Sidha institute, Tamil classical institute among others.
MK Stalin pointed out the BJP government had not even completed the AIIMS hospital in Madurai after 8 years. "It doesn't have the heart to release funds to Tamil Nadu," he said.
Amit Shah did not give a timeline for completion of the project but asked why the DMK did not bring AIIMS hospital when it shared power at the centre for nine years.
Countering that, Mr Stalin said: "Our health care system was too good we didn't need an AIIMS hospital. We ask now because it was the BJP Government that announced it".
On Sunday, Amit Shah targeted the ruling DMK and its ally, the Congress, calling them "2G, 3G, 4G" parties and said the time has come in Tamil Nadu to throw away these and give the power to a "son of the soil".