"Let him show that": DMK's Elangovan on PM Modi's remarks in Rameswaram, seeks proof of development in Tamil Nadu

Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], April 6 (ANI): DMK leader TKS Elangovan on Sunday criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi's remarks in Rameswaram, questioning the Centre's claims on development in Tamil Nadu. He demanded the central government to provide a detailed account of infrastructure and welfare initiatives undertaken in the state.
"Anybody can say we have given a lot of schemes. All I want is for the government to list these schemes along with the amounts planned for every scheme," Elangovan told ANI.
He further claimed that the central government is spending 150 crores on a railway station in Uttar Pradesh while allocating nine crores only for Rameswaram.
"They will do everything for Rameshwaram as Ram Temple is there, but it is not the only place in Tamil Nadu. It is a big state with many temples here. How can he (PM Modi) say that a lot of money was spent here? He says that 1 crore houses were built here; let him show that," Elangovan said.
"He thinks that he is Vajpayee. The roads were laid during Vajpayee's period. When TR Balu was minister of Highways, he brought in many roads to Tamil Nadu. After that, no roads have been built. No new road schemes were started after 2014. Let him list the 6000 crore expenditure on railways and 4000 km of road expenditure after 2014," the DMK leader demanded.
Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that developing Tamil Nadu's infrastructure is among his government's top priorities and highlighted the various infrastructure and development initiatives that the Central Government had supported in the State.
Addressing a gathering after inaugurating the New Pamban Bridge in Ramanathapuram, the Prime Minister said, "The infrastructure of Tamil Nadu is a top priority for the government. In the past decade, the state's rail budget has increased more than sevenfold. Despite this significant growth, some people continue to complain without justification..."
"Before 2014, only Rs 900 crore were allocated each year. You know who was the 'karta-dharta' of the INDI alliance at that time. However, this year, Tamil Nadu's rail budget has exceeded Rs 6000 crore," the Prime Minister said.
"Additionally, the Indian government is modernizing 77 railway stations, including the one in Rameswaram. In the past 10 years, under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, a lot of work has been done on village roads and highways. After 2014, with the help of the Central Government, around 4000 kilometres of roads have been built in Tamil Nadu," the Prime Minister said.
Prime Minister Modi inaugurated the New Pamban Bridge and flagged off the train and a ship from the road bridge and witnessed the operation of the bridge on Sunday.
He inaugurated the bridge in the presence of Governor RN Ravi and Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. It is India's first vertical lift sea bridge.
PM Modi said, "The new train service will improve connectivity from Rameswaram to Chennai and other parts of the country. This will benefit both trade and tourism in Tamil Nadu. New jobs and opportunities will also be created for the youth..."
He pointed out that in the past 10 years, India had doubled the size of its economy.
"A major reason for such rapid growth is also our splendid modern infrastructure. In the past 10 years, we have increased the budget for infrastructure like rail, road, airports, water, ports, electricity, gas pipelines... by nearly six times, " PM Modi pointed out. (ANI)