Tamil Nadu can get more funds now: Thambi Durai

KARUR: Having sealed the alliance with the BJP for Lok Sabha elections, senior AIADMK leader and Lok Sabha deputy Speaker M Thambi Durai expressed confidence that the Union government would release funds due to Tamil Nadu from the central pool.

Addressing media in Karur on Wednesday,  Thambidurai said, “So far we were in the opposition and were not able to get the desired funds for Tamil Nadu. Now we are allies and have friendly relations with BJP. 
There are certain coalition ethics. Now that we have become allies, the State government will be able to receive even `50,000 crore from the Centre, leave alone dues of `15,000 crore from the GST pool.”

Hitting out at DMK president M K Stalin for his comments on the AIADMK-PMK-BJP alliance, Thambi Durai said, “DMK will only perform pooja for welfare projects and put poojiyam (Zero) for people. None of the projects will get completed. Stalin is frustrated because he knows he won’t be able to come to power in Tamil Nadu. The fear of losing the parliamentary and assembly elections is making it more frustrating for him. Out of that frustration, Stalin is making uncivilized remarks.”

“DMK and Congress are our enemies. They killed more than a million Tamils in Sri Lanka. The treacherous coalition which betrayed the  Tamils shouldn’t come back to power again. That is why AIADMK and BJP formed an alliance to ensure that the treacherous coalition doesn’t come to power again in the Centre,” he added. Questioned who will benefit from AIADMK-BJP alliance, he said “This coalition will only benefit the people. Thirunavukarasar (who made comments to the effect) is not a priest to say that AIADMK-BJP alliance is a forced marriage.”

Meanwhile, Union Minister Pon Radhakrishnan on Wednesday said the alliance between BJP and AIADMK has won the hearts of voters.