Amit Shah Slams MK Stalin: Centre Gave Tamil Nadu ₹5 Lakh Crore in a Decade
On delimitation exercise, Shah reassured that no southern State, including Tamil Nadu, would lose seats.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah launched a fiery rebuttal against Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin today, accusing him of peddling falsehoods about central fund allocations to the State. Speaking at the inauguration of the BJP’s new district office in Coimbatore, Shah asserted that the Narendra Modi-led government had provided Tamil Nadu with ₹5,08,337 crore between 2014 and 2024, directly challenging Stalin’s repeated claims of neglect by the Centre.
“There is no truth in M.K. Stalin’s statements,” Shah declared, addressing a gathered crowd of party workers and supporters. He argued that the real injustice to Tamil Nadu occurred under the Congress-led UPA government, during which Stalin’s DMK was a key ally. “When UPA was in power, your ministers were part of it, where were these complaints then?” Shah quipped, turning the tables on the DMK leader.
The Home Minister’s remarks come amid an escalating war of words between the BJP and the ruling DMK over governance and fiscal equity. Stalin has long criticised the Modi government for allegedly shortchanging Tamil Nadu on funds for infrastructure, education, and disaster relief, a narrative Shah dismissed as a “diversionary tactic”. Doubling down, Shah accused the DMK of mismanaging State affairs, claiming, “All DMK leaders hold a master’s degree in corruption,” and pointing to alleged scandals involving cash-for-jobs, money laundering, and illegal sand mining.
Shah also tackled Stalin’s recent focus on the upcoming delimitation exercise, which the Tamil Nadu government has flagged as a potential threat to southern states’ parliamentary representation. Calling it a “misinformation campaign”, Shah reassured that no southern State, including Tamil Nadu, would lose seats, citing Modi’s commitment to a fair, pro-rata process. “The CM and his son are raising issues to distract from their failures,” he added, referencing an all-party meeting Stalin has scheduled for March 5 to discuss the matter.
The event, which also saw Shah virtually inaugurate BJP offices in Tiruvannamalai and Ramanathapuram, doubled as a rallying cry for the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) ahead of Tamil Nadu’s 2026 assembly elections. Predicting a landslide victory, Shah vowed to “end nepotism and corruption” in the State, framing the BJP as a counterweight to the DMK’s dominance. As tensions flare, this clash underscores the deepening political divide in Tamil Nadu, with both sides digging in for a high-stakes battle.
