CHENNAI: Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on Tuesday asserted that the Tamil Nadu government does not seek confrontation with the Union government, while reiterating its commitment to protecting the State’s rights and interests.
Replying to the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the Governor’s Address in the Assembly, Vijay said his government was working towards building a corruption-free, transparent and people-centric administration.
“Our objective is to create a transparent administration and ensure the safety and welfare of women. We are moving towards these goals step by step,” the Chief Minister said.
In a veiled attack on the previous DMK government, Vijay rejected criticism that the TVK-led administration lacked experience in governance and accused the former regime of financial mismanagement.
“They say we do not know how to govern. What we do not know is how to misuse public funds. We know how to work for the people, but we do not know how to embezzle money. We know how to regulate tenders, but not how to inflate costs and indulge in corruption.
We know how to create jobs, but not how to sell them. We know how to safeguard temple funds and government revenue, but not how to divert them for personal gain,” he said.
The Chief Minister also said the government was committed to curbing the drug menace and ensuring accountability in public administration.
Addressing Centre-State relations, Vijay said the government's political position had been clearly articulated as “federalism at the Centre and autonomy for the States.”
"We are ideologically opposed to the BJP. However, that does not mean we should be in conflict with the Union government on every issue. Tamil Nadu’s development is our priority. At the same time, we will never compromise on the State’s rights or policy principles,” he said.
The Chief Minister maintained that the government had consistently defended Tamil Nadu’s interests on issues concerning federal rights and resource allocation.
“Those who attempt to create confusion on matters relating to State rights will ultimately be rejected by the people. We do not belong to any team. We belong only to the people and stand for secularism and social justice,” Vijay said.