Tamil Nadu is a huge manufacturing hub, consistently outstripping the larger states of northern India. According to official figures, only 2 percent are poor, compared to 12 percent in Gujarat, 23 percent in UP and 34 percent in Bihar.
Amit Shah (Photo Courtesy: Facebook)
New Delhi: Targeting the state’s ruling DMK and its erstwhile ally AIADMK during election campaigning in Tamil Nadu’s Madurai last week, BJP leader and Home Minister Amit Shah claimed that both parties had ensured that there were “no Vikas” in Tamil Nadu.
According to a report, Amit Shah has reportedly asked the people of the state to find out the insults committed by both the parties and send them back in this election. He said that Modi is taking the country on the path of development, so make Modi PM for the third time.
Although Amit Shah’s statements are completely different from reality….
one; Tamil Nadu is one of the largest manufacturing regions in India.
According to the statistics department’s annual industry survey, there were 39,512 factories in fiscal 2022, the highest in India.
two; As part of the so-called “China + 1” global strategy, India hopes to establish itself as an alternative manufacturing destination for multinational companies that the US could also acquire.
Analysts say that Tamil Nadu is a major hub for the electronic manufacturing services sector in India.
The Apple/iPhone factories that Modi boasts about are in Tamil Nadu. In December 2023, it was announced that Tata plans to build one of India’s largest iPhone assembly plants in Hauser, Tamil Nadu.
Bloomberg, citing sources, said the plant would employ 50,000 people within two years.
three; Earlier this year, there were reports on social media that UP had ‘outpaced’ Tamil Nadu’s growth rate, with UP being the new emerging hub as a political issue. Adityanath is seen everywhere as the chief propagandist of the BJP.
But former finance minister and now Tamil Nadu IT minister P Tyag Rajan said, “Uttar Pradesh’s economy was 19 per cent larger than that of Tamil Nadu (2004-2005) and remained larger till 2013-2014. It has been second only to Tamil Nadu since the “good old days” and recently accounted for 95.48% of Tamil Nadu’s economy (2022-2023).
four; The poverty figures in South India, especially Tamil Nadu, are markedly different compared to states that have consistently voted for the BJP.
According to NITI Aayog, 2.2 percent of Tamil Nadu’s population is poor. In Gujarat, where Modi has been chief minister for more than 12 years and the BJP has been in power since the 1990s, 11.66 percent are poor.
33.8 percent in Bihar, 22.9 percent in Uttar Pradesh and 20.6 percent in Madhya Pradesh are poor.
five; The annual survey of industries recently revealed that Tamil Nadu has recorded the highest proportion of women in the factory workforce in more than two decades. Tamil Nadu accounted for 42 percent of the total female factory workforce in India in 2021-2022. This is a time when inclusion of women in the workforce is a major concern in India.
six; In terms of the Human Development Index or HDI, Tamil Nadu ranks 11th in India with a score of 0.686 in 2021. This is an increase of five places from 1990 when it was ranked 16th with a score of 0.475.
BJP leaders have doubts about Tamil Nadu. This is because BJP has never been in power here where, by the way, “Vikas” and progress as well as social index and social cohesion are at the top of India’s charts.
And incidentally, scholars have also noted this about Tamil Nadu and other southern states, which have consistently seen high growth, cohesion and healthy numbers, and where the BJP has sometimes managed to gain a foothold.
It is to be noted that on Friday (April 19), the first phase of voting will take place to elect their Lok Sabha representatives to the 39 parliamentary seats of Tamil Nadu.
