Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin’s remarks about a Union government letter on the state’s paddy incentive have triggered a fresh political row, with critics asking why the communication surfaced only after nearly three months.
Speaking at an event in Thanjavur, Stalin said officials recently showed him a letter sent by the Centre to the Tamil Nadu government. He claimed the communication, from the department under Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, sought a reconsideration of the incentive paid for paddy, citing issues arising from increased production.
Sitharaman responded with a statement saying the letter was sent to all states and was advisory in nature, suggesting that state incentive policies be aligned with national priorities. She added that incentives are within the states’ powers and that no one was taking that authority away.
After Stalin challenged her to publish the letter if her version was accurate, Sitharaman uploaded it online. The document was dated January 9, and the episode led to questions on whether the letter had been kept from the Chief Minister for months or whether the issue was being raised now for electoral reasons.
Stalin maintained that he had not spoken beyond what was clearly stated in the letter, while Sitharaman accused him of turning a national policy objective into a controversy for political gain. Stalin, in turn, disputed her claim that most states had accepted a request not to provide paddy incentives, citing opposition from Kerala’s Chief Minister, but did not explain the delay in the letter being brought to his attention.
