DMK president M.K. Stalin on Saturday challenged Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami to release a White Paper on the number of investments attracted and jobs created under the AIADMK government.
“If the Chief Minister really has the guts, let him release the White Paper on the number of investments and jobs created. I also request him to release another White Paper on the procurements made for tackling COVID-19,” he said in a statement.
Only when the White Papers is released would the corruption committed by the government come to light. He termed as “mere eyewash” the Chief Minister’s statement that the government had made Tamil Nadu one of the top investment destinations in India.
Rise in COVID-19 cases
The status of memoranda of understanding signed at the two Global Investors Meet was not known, he said, adding that the number of COVID-19 cases was increasing in the State.
The State’s debt had touched ₹4.56 lakh crore and reports said the government had so far borrowed ₹50,000 crore this year, he said.
In addition, the government had said it would go with option 1 on GST compensation, which meant it had agreed to borrow from the market and had surrendered the State’s rights to the GST Council, he said.
The State did not have data on the death of healthcare workers and doctors, and the district-wise breakdown of the number of tests was also not shared, he said.
Mr. Stalin alleged that the Chief Minister and his Cabinet colleagues were flouting physical distancing norms in the name of meetings, including the one to announce the AIADMK’s candidate for Chief Minister.
He said the Chief Minister did not have the guts to make public the report submitted by a high-level committee, headed by former Reserve Bank of India Governor C. Rangarajan, to revive the State’s economy.