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“The Narendra Modi government has provided Rs 5,08,337 lakh crore to the state during the 2014-24 period. Tamil Nadu got a mere Rs 1.52 lakh crore from the then UPA regime (from 2004-2014),” Amit Shah said
PM Narendra Modi (left) and Home Minister Amit Shah in Tamil Nadu. (PTI File)
Twice in the past 40 days, the Bharatiya Janata Party’s top leaders have reminded Tamil Nadu that the state got three times the amount of money from the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) at the Centre than the Congress-United Progressive Alliance (UPA) between 2004 and 2014 when the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) was part of the ruling coalition. This is a key narrative for the BJP ahead of Tamil Nadu elections.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said so in Rameswaram on Sunday, while it was Union Home Minister Amit Shah said so in Coimbatore in February.
“Over the past decade, the funds allocated to Tamil Nadu from the central government have been three times more compared to before 2014. Yet, some people have a habit of complaining without reason—they keep crying about things. The amount of funding the Modi government has provided to Tamil Nadu is three times more than the INDI Alliance when it was in power, and DMK was a part of that government,” the Prime Minister said.
Shah was more specific, citing figures when he spoke in Coimbatore on February 26.
The Tamil language, culture and traditions are a priceless jewel of India’s culture.தமிழ் மொழி, கலாச்சாரம் மற்றும் மரபுகள் இந்திய கலாச்சாரத்தின் விலைமதிப்பற்ற ரத்தினம் ஆகும். pic.twitter.com/TEMks6EnkE
— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) March 7, 2025
“The Narendra Modi government has provided Rs 5,08,337 lakh crore to the state during the 2014-24 period. I say with statistics. Tamil Nadu got a mere Rs 1.52 lakh crore from the then UPA regime (from 2004-2014). You are saying Modi government is doing injustice. But the injustice was done to the state during the UPA regime when you were part of the government,” Shah said.
The Home Minister said this was apart from Rs 1.43 lakh crore provided by the NDA government to Tamil Nadu to develop its infrastructure.
Top government sources say this is a concerted campaign by the BJP from the top to counter Chief Minister MK Stalin’s campaign that Tamil Nadu has been deliberately deprived of funds by the Centre.
The Prime Minister on Sunday said Tamil Nadu has a crucial role in the journey towards Viksit Bharat and that he firmly believed that the stronger Tamil Nadu becomes, the faster Bharat’s growth will be.
He said the Centre has helped greatly boost Tamil Nadu’s economic and industrial growth.
“Tamil Nadu’s infrastructure is a top priority for the Government. Over the past decade, the railway budget for Tamil Nadu has been increased over seven times. Before 2014, the annual allocation for railway projects in Tamil Nadu was only Rs 900 crore,” the PM said.
