CHENNAI: Hitting back at critics who accused the State government of not taking adequate steps to attract and retain investors, Industries Minister TRB Rajaa said the allegations were not only unsubstantiated, but also ignored the “significant and demonstrable” strides that Tamil Nadu has made over the past four years under Chief Minister MK Stalin’s government.

In a statement here on Wednesday, Rajaa detailed the memoranda of understanding signed under the DMK government. Of these, 809 projects, accounting for over 78% of all MoUs, have already secured land and are at various stages of implementation, including commercial production, trial runs, partial operations, and active construction, he said.

“We categorically reject allegations that Tamil Nadu’s conversion numbers are less than what we have presented; such allegations are driven by outright ignorance, and motivated by a desire to undermine progress of the people of TN and for short-term political drama,” the minister said.

Raising a counter-allegation, he accused the critics of remaining conspicuously silent when crucial infrastructure proposals, such as Metro Rail projects in Coimbatore and Madurai, are denied approval by the BJP-led Union government.

They also fail to acknowledge that the Centre’s own data identifies Tamil Nadu as the fastest-growing State in India with a growth rate of 11.19%, driven in large part by the manufacturing sector, he added.