PTR takes swipe at Guv on Raj Bhavan spending

CHENNAI: State Finance Minister Palanivel Thiaga Rajan has taken a veiled dig at Governor R N Ravi apropos of the amount spent by the State government on Raj Bhavan.

Taking to social media to taunt the Governor, Thiaga Rajan referred to the media reports highlighting the State spending on Governors in the country and said, “Didn't realise Tamil Nadu was such an outlier in spending on the Governor!”

Offering to validate the report, the Finance Minister added, “Raises so many questions.” The finance minister’s tweet vis-a-vis the state spending on Raj Bhavan is only the latest episode in the unending face off between the state government and the gubernatorial head of the state. Not so long ago, the minister took a swipe at the governor and the state BJP unit equally alike after the saffron party members quipped that the abstention of the DMK from the Governor’s tea party would save money. Thiaga Rajan had retorted then by adding that it was only the State government which would foot the bill for the tea party hosted by the Governor. Later, the minister went on to add that the expenditure incurred for the tea party had overshot the initial estimates. As per the media report tweeted by the minister on his Twitter handle, Tamil Nadu spends Rs 6.5 crore on allowances for maintenance of official residence, among the top 10 states.