 "Jaya meets Modi amidst rumours of joining hands")
Amidst speculations that BJP is trying to rope in AIADMK for support in the Rajya Sabha, where BJP is in a minority, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and AIADMK J Jayalalithaa today met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi.
"The meeting lasted about 50 minutes and it was useful. I hope it will be rewarding," said Jayalaithaa, after submitting a 27-page memorandum, which also requested the Prime Minister to withdraw the decision to allow 51% FDI in multi-brand retailing and Central government to share the burden of fuel subsidy.
"The Prime Minister promised that he would look into the memorandum and will take actions immediately," said Jayalaithaa, who also met the President of India and Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.
Her Delhi visit has been in the headlines across the National channels on the backdrop of speculation that BJP will rope in AIADMK to back NDA at Rajya Sabha.
As BJP with 42 members in the 245-Upper House falls short of the 123-mark, speculations are rife that BJP will rope in AIADMK which has ten members in the House. BJP needs AIADMK support in a bid to push through key legislations in the Rajya Sabha.
Media reports stated that she will ask for special finance package for the State, for joining the NDA.
"Contrary to Media reports, we have not asked for any special demand for a special financial package for the State. Rather I stressed the Prime Minister to release the money, which were promised by the Center in the earlier occasions", she said
Since 2010, whatever the Centre announced were not actually delivered to Tamil Nadu, she alleged.
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For example, according to Jayalaithaa, "when Central Sales Tax (CST) was reduced, we were promised compensation and that is why we have agreed to it. Now, although CST has been reduced, we are yet to receive Rs 7,039 crore from the Centre".
Under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan and other schemes, more than Rs 4,000 crore need to be refunded by the Centre to Tamil Nadu.
"In anticipation that these grants will come from the Centre we have allocated funds from the State budget. But the funds have not been forthcoming, we were not reimbursed by the Centre. That puts us in a difficult fiscal situation. That is why I have stressed these should be immediately reimbursed," said Jayalaithaa.
Jayalalithaa also stressed the Prime Minister on the formation of Cauvery Management Board and the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee for the implementation of the Final Order of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal and also asked the Government to expedite the nomination of a representative from the Central Water Commission in the Supervisory Committee to supervise the raising of water level to 142 ft. in the Mullai Periyar Dam as per the judgment of the Supreme Court dated May 7, 2014.
She also asked for Rs 11,421 crore for Modernisation of the Canal System in the Cauvery Basin.
Jayalaithaa also said India should sponsor a resolution in the United Nations condemning the genocide in Sri Lanka and to hold to account all those responsible for the genocide and thereby render justice to the Tamils in Sri Lanka.
The State Government also asked Centre to support infrastructure projects including Urban Infrastructure and Services, Metro Rail, Transport and Industrial Infrastructure.
On the power sector, she said, Centre should allocate the 15 per cent unallocated power share totalling 450 MW in the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant Units; Neyveli Lignite Corporation projects and at Vallur projects to the State.
She also stressed that the Centre should support the creation of an intra state 'Green Energy Corridor' by providing a grant of Rs 2,250 crore towards transmission schemes for evacuation of a portion of solar energy.
Agriculture Insurance and Food Security related issues, modernisation of the Police Force, declaration of Tamil as an official language, protection of the interests of poor, rural students, particularly from the Scheduled Castes and grant of the Digitally Addressable System license for the Tamil Nadu Arasu Cable TV Corporation are the other issues which were taken by Jayalaithaa to the Prime Minister.