Mere compilation of announcements: MK

CHENNAI: Claiming that the Budget lacked “objectives and schemes”, DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi on Thursday called it a mere compilation of the announcements made by the AIADMK government in the last three months.In a statement riddled with sarcasm, Karunanidhi said he was not inclined to ask if the projection of `1,18,801 crore as the likely debt burden of the State by March next year was the achievement of the AIADMK government. Pointing out that Jayalalithaa had hit out at him for a debt burden of `1,01,541 crore when the interim budget was presented in March by his regime, he said, “The budget says the debt burden will be up by `17,000 crore. I do not want to describe this as an achievement of the present government. Although the Assembly session was in the offing, the government chose to announce many new schemes ahead of the Budget session. VAT and stamp duty rates were hiked, besides the prices of liquor. One can understand from this that the government itself was not much interested in the budget.”Jayalalithaa, as Leader of the Opposition, had criticised the DMK for not making a detailed mention of the Mullaiperiyar dam row. “Even this budget does not speak of it. I am tempted to ask if sermons were intended only for others.” The Budget skirted the Samacheer Kalvi, the Classical Tamil Centre and the shifting of the Pavendar Semmozhi Library, he added.