CHENNAI: Union minister Piyush Goyal on Monday said three lakh families in Tamil Nadu were denied benefits under the housing for all scheme because the state govt did not provide the Union govt with the names of the beneficiaries.He said this meant nearly 12 lakh people missed access to homes with toilets, cooking gas, electricity and digital connectivity. “I want an answer from Stalin. What does he have against those three lakh poor families who could have benefited from the Central govt scheme?”
Speaking to reporters here on the sidelines of BJP’s foundation day celebrations, Piyush asked Stalin to name one high-quality infrastructure that was created in the state by his govt. He questioned the use of central funds in Tamil Nadu, stating that tax devolution to the state doubled in the last 10 years and grants-in-aid increased four-and-a-half times compared to the 2004-2014 period. He said grants rose from about 57,000 crore to 2,50,000 crore, and asked where this money went.Alleging corruption, he referred to issues in the Jal Jeevan Mission, saying investigations were underway to identify those involved, including whether the chief minister was directly responsible. “We will ensure that they face the consequences of their corrupt activities.”On the language policy, Goyal said the National Education Policy does not mandate any particular language and accused the state govt of spreading misinformation. “We are trying to encourage native languages as per the choice of each ward’s parents, to decide what native language they want to teach their children. There is no compulsion to teach Hindi. This is another lie that Stalin is repeating, hoping that people will fall for his falsehood.“As many as six Union ministers, including G Kishan Reddy, Suresh Gopi and Jyotiraditya Scindia, campaigned across Tamil Nadu on Monday, supporting NDA candidates. Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis was in Madurai supporting Rama Sreenivasan, who is contesting from Madurai South constituency.
