Annamalai and Stalin criticise Tamil Nadu economy over low GST growth
Former BJP president K Annamalai and DMK president MK Stalin have targeted the TVK government regarding weak revenue and lost investments.
Tamil Nadu's economic performance under the TVK government has faced criticism from former BJP state president K Annamalai and DMK president MK Stalin, according to India Today. Both leaders highlighted low GST collections and the loss of Korean investment to Andhra Pradesh.
Annamalai stated in a post on X that the state's GST collection over the last six months raises questions about the government's ability to generate sustainable revenue. He noted that while October showed growth, it remained in single digits.
Official figures show that Tamil Nadu's domestic GST collections contracted year-on-year from May to September, including a 5% fall in September to Rs 10,188 crore. In October, collections rose by 3% to Rs 11,661 crore, while the national average was 22.9%.
MK Stalin also criticised the administration, alleging that Tamil Nadu's GST growth has fallen below the national average. He claimed that Korean investments worth Rs 1,614 crore meant for the state moved to Andhra Pradesh due to government negligence.
Stalin further alleged that the investment promotion agency, Guidance Tamil Nadu, was sacrificed due to personal egos. He accused Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay of focusing on campaigning in bypoll constituencies rather than addressing economic concerns.
Annamalai also flagged a slowdown in capital expenditure and noted that the state's share of national manufacturing Gross Value Added has remained largely stagnant at around 10.26–10.90% for fifteen years.