Counter DMK's false campaign on GST, economic reforms, with statistics, FM tells TN BJP

Chennai, Aug 30 (PTI) Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday called upon the Tamil Nadu BJP to counter DMK's false campaign, with statistics on Goods and Services Tax (GST), and also on Centre's economic reforms.

During her visit to the city, BJP's former state president K Annamalai, in a rare show of camaraderie, addressed AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami as the Chief Minister candidate (for 2026 Assembly election) and urged the party members to strive for the victory of the BJP and its allies.

Besides Palaniswami, DMDK deputy general secretary L K Sudish, and TMC president G K Vasan, too, shared the dais with Sitharaman and the BJP leaders for the first time at an event held here to pay tributes to Congress leader and Vasan's father G K Moopanar on his 24th death anniversary.

Sitharaman later sprang a surprise by visiting the memorial of iconic Congress leader and former Chief Minister K Kamaraj and paying floral tributes to his statue and laying a wreath at his memorial. She was accompanied by the BJP leaders and cadres.

According to a BJP senior, the Finance Minister appealed to the party members to reach out to the people and present the correct picture of the economic scenario and growth graph that the BJP-led government at the Centre under Prime Minister Narendra Modi had achieved.

During her nearly half-an-hour pep talk with the state executive members and office bearers, here, she emphasised that the Indian consumers would benefit from the easing in the GST structure, as the Centre planned to reduce tax slabs and lower rates on several items, the senior BJP leader told PTI.

She had stressed that the overhaul would simplify the current four-tier structure into a two-tier system, and it would ensure relief to consumers with the 12 per cent slab getting reduced to 5 per cent and the 28 per cent slab to 18 per cent. Also, she had pointed out that India's economy grew by 7.8 per cent, he said.

BJP leaders: state president Nainar Nagenthiran, National Co-incharge for Tamil Nadu Dr Ponguleti Sudhakar Reddy and National Secretary Arvind Menon were among those who participated in the maiden meeting held after Nagenthiran took up the reins as party president, succeeding Annamalai.

"Interacted with newly appointed office bearers of BJP Tamil Nadu in Chennai. BJP State President Nainar Nagenthiran was also present," the office of Nirmala Sitharaman said in a social media post and shared images of the meeting.

Sudhakar Reddy said in a post on 'X' that during the meeting, it was "explained about the strong economic reforms and transformative policies implemented by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led NDA government and appealed to the cadre to reach every corner of Tamil Nadu, connect with beneficiaries of Central government schemes and spread the message of good governance driving 'Viksit Bharat'." "With united resolve, we are committed to bring the NDA government in Tamil Nadu in 2026 and pave the way for a Viksit Tamil Nadu contributing to Viksit Bharat 2047," he added. PTI VIJ JSP ROH