CHENNAI: Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK) general secretary Premalatha Vijayakant on Tuesday said the Union Budget, presented in an election year, should have carried far more announcements for Tamil Nadu, particularly catering to agriculture and water security, and accused a section of the media of misrepresenting her party's internal deliberations.
Speaking to reporters at the Chennai airport, she said, "Since this is an election-year Budget, Tamil Nadu deserved many more announcements. While river-linking projects have been announced for other states, no such assurance has been made for Tamil Nadu. For a State that is largely agrarian, this is a serious omission."
She welcomed select proposals, including high-speed train projects, healthcare initiatives and announcements related to coconut cultivation, but summed up the Budget as inadequate. "It is like offering just a handful of grain to an elephant. Farmers and agriculture-linked sectors needed stronger support," she said.
On taxation, Premalatha said the reduction in income tax rates would help small and micro enterprises, but flagged concerns over rising fuel and gold prices. "Petrol, diesel and gold prices continue to rise, but there are no concrete measures to address this. There are also no meaningful announcements for the poor and the middle class. The 100-day employment scheme must be implemented in letter and spirit," she added.
She described US President Donald Trump's announcement on tax cuts as welcome news for Indians. "Lower import-export duties will boost trade and industrial growth," she said.
Rejecting reports on alliance negotiations, Premalatha said, "Do not misrepresent our alliance talks or publish false news about our party. Our decision will be announced soon, and the party headquarters' word is final."
She said the allocation of Rs 42 crore for the Nandan canal project was the outcome of sustained protests by DMDK legislators. "This is a victory for our struggle. The project will be a permanent solution for drinking water and irrigation," she said.
Condemning attacks on journalists, she said intimidation or violence against media persons was unacceptable and stressed that law would take its course in incidents such as the Karur tragedy.