look news india
The stir in the political circles of Tamil Nadu intensified when the State Finance Minister Dr. N. Mary Wilson sharply hit back at Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) statement terming the ruling TVK as the ‘new DMK’. During an interview, the Finance Minister drew a clear line between the working style of both the parties and family politics and made it clear that there is a world of difference in the political structure of TVK and DMK.
‘We do not support nepotism’
Responding to BJP’s jibe, Finance Minister Wilson clearly said that even though political viewpoints may be similar on some issues, TVK never follows the family governance model of DMK. Taking aim at the DMK, he said, “His family has been in power for the last 40 years. His grandfather was the Chief Minister, his son became the Deputy Chief Minister, his sister was an MP and other relatives also held top positions in politics. But there is no such system in TVK.” He stressed that his party is completely transparent and dedicated to the people.
Strict stance on corruption and claim of cancellation of tender
Referring to the cases of alleged overestimation and lobbying in Chennai Corporation, the Finance Minister made a big disclosure. He said tenders worth about Rs 23,000 crore have been canceled in the state as the corruption situation in the previous systems was ‘very bad’. Wilson said that earlier ‘Reverse Administrative Sanction’ was highly misused, where a project worth Rs 100 crore was later increased to Rs 150 crore through additional approvals. The government is now changing this entire system and implementing a transparent policy of ‘one DPR followed by one tender’.
Economic growth and investment within 100 days
Talking about the economic progress of the state, the Finance Minister said that the Tamil Nadu government is rapidly moving towards the goal of creating a 1.5 trillion dollar economy. In the first 100 days of the government’s tenure, the state has received huge investment of about Rs 1 lakh crore. Wilson, who entered politics from the field of education, stressed financial discipline and local audit, saying that proper use of state resources and transparency are her top priorities.
Clear stance on Tamil Thai Vazhathu
Speaking on the issue of cultural and regional identity, the Finance Minister described ‘Tamil Thai Vazhathu’ (state anthem) as essential. He bluntly said that Tamil prayer should be sung first at the beginning of government programs. A resolution has also been passed on this in the Assembly and this rule should apply equally to the programs of all political parties.