Didn’t you want state autonomy when you were part of Union govt, asks EPS

Chennai: A day after the DMK govt tabled Justice Kurian Joseph's report batting for state autonomy, AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami accused the party of raising the issue of state's right with an eye on the approaching assembly election.Speaking in the assembly on Thursday, Palaniswami questioned the DMK for ‘failing' to press the demand when it was part of the Union govt. "You were part of the Union govts led by BJP as well as the Congress for about 15 years. You were also part of govts led by I K Gujral and Deve Gowda. The issue of state autonomy never came to your mind during then. Now, as elections draw near, you are speaking about state autonomy to mislead the people," he said.
In response, law minister S Regupathy said the need to press for state autonomy was stronger than ever. He said other states have also realised this need. The chief minister will circulate the report of the ‘High Level Committee Union-State Relations' to unite like-minded states, he said.This was followed by a heated exchange on the floor over the Neet (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test), with Palaniswami stating the Congress-led UPA govt issued the notification for the exam in Dec 2010 and that the DMK, which was part of that Union govt, raised no objection. In response, DMK minister Geetha Jeevan said that earlier the states had the right to decide on the Neet, but it was made mandatory by the BJP govt.Palaniswami then sought a white paper on investments attracted by the Tamil Nadu govt. Citing Union govt data, EPS alleged that Tamil Nadu attracted only about 74,300 crore in foreign direct investment over the last three years.In his reply, state industries minister T R B Raja said several foreign firms coming to TN route investments through their Indian headquarters based in Delhi or Gurugram, causing figures to be reflected in those states. He said nearly 70% of the MoUs were realised, added that Tamil Nadu was leading in manufacturing, and pointed to the state's 11.19% growth rate (national average 6.9%).