Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Monday launched a sharp attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the recent Goods and Services Tax (GST) cuts, accusing the Union government of denying states their rightful funds and punishing them for resisting “Hindi imposition.”

According to an NDTV report, the Chief Minister questioned the timing of the announcement, arguing that the Centre had ignored years of Opposition demands for tax relief and was now attempting to claim political credit.

“Opposition demanded this long ago”

In a strongly worded statement, Mr Stalin said: “Prime Minister Narendra Modi now says Indians will save ₹2.5 lakh crore through GST reform and Income Tax relief. But this is exactly what the Opposition has been demanding from the very beginning. If these measures had been taken eight years ago, families across the country would already have saved many lakh crores more.”

He further alleged that while states share the financial burden of tax relief, their contribution goes unacknowledged. “50 per cent of this relief has been actually borne by the state governments, a fact which the Union has failed to acknowledge as well as appreciate,” Mr Stalin added.

Funds withheld over “Hindi imposition”

The Chief Minister also accused the Centre of withholding key education funds. “Tamil Nadu is being denied Samagra Shiksha funds only because we refuse to accept Hindi imposition. When will this injustice end?” he asked, reiterating the DMK’s long-standing opposition to attempts at imposing Hindi in non-Hindi-speaking states.

He urged the Centre to adopt a federal approach: “India cannot grow by punishing states that defend their rights and stand for their people. Respect federalism, release the funds, and let the people benefit from what is rightfully theirs.”

BJP hits back

Responding to the allegations, BJP spokesperson Narayanan Thirupathy dismissed Mr Stalin’s remarks, calling them politically motivated. “MK Stalin is unaware of taxation and the economy. Reforms have happened only now because they were possible after the tax base expanded. Eight years ago, there were only 50 lakh assessees. Today we have one-and-a-half crore,” he said.

Thirupathy also argued that states have been among the biggest beneficiaries of GST collections: “The states’ GST revenue has increased over time. It is also true that states earned 50 per cent more under higher GST.”

Education policy dispute

The funding row between Tamil Nadu and the Centre has been brewing for some time. Recently, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said compliance with the New Education Policy (NEP) was a prerequisite for releasing funds under the Samagra Shiksha scheme.

Tamil Nadu has strongly opposed the NEP, calling it centralised and “Hindi-driven,” and has moved the Supreme Court over the issue. Mr Stalin has accused the Centre of using funds as leverage to pressure states into compliance.

Conclusion

The war of words between the Tamil Nadu government and the Centre highlights the deepening fault lines over federalism, taxation, and language policy. While the Union government maintains that reforms are yielding results, the state continues to allege bias and neglect. With Durga Puja and other major festivals around the corner, the political debate is likely to intensify further as both sides seek to position themselves as defenders of people’s economic interests.