States demanding funds as per their tax contribution is 'petty thinking': Piyush Goyal
Goyal also said Modi is of the view that if country is to prosper, north-east and eastern states like Bihar, West Bengal, Odisha and Jharkhand has to develop
The demand by states to get central funds in proportion to their contribution of taxes to the central kitty is "petty thinking" and "unfortunate", said Union commerce minister Piyush Goyal on Saturday (February 9).
He also said that PM Modi is of the view that if the country is to prosper, the eight states of the north-east and eastern Indian states like Bihar, West Bengal, Odisha and Jharkhand must develop. Goyal was speaking at the 'Rashtriya Ekatmata Yatra 2025', an event organised in Mumbai by the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and the 'Students Experience in Inter-State Living (SEIL)' initiative.
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Petty thinking
In the last 11 years, the Modi government's "laser focus", like that of Arjuna of the Mahabharata, was on the north-east and eastern states, the minister said.
"It is unfortunate that some states and some leaders...I don't want to politicise it but some leaders from Maharashtra used to say...leaders of the earlier government which was there for two-and-a-half years, they used to calculate the tax paid by Mumbai and Maharashtra and (demand) it should get back that much amount (of central funds)," Goyal said.
The parliamentarian from Mumbai North was apparently referring to the previous Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government.
"There are some states like Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana which say they should get back the amount of taxes they have paid. There can't be any (greater) petty thinking (chhoti soch) than this. There cannot be anything (more) unfortunate than this," he said.
But there is no need to worry now as the present BJP-led government in Maharashtra is very sensitive towards north-east India, the minister added.
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Look east policy
The Modi government at the Centre, for the last 11 years, has been following "Act East" and "Look East" policy, prioritising north-east India, said Goyal.
Under the Modi government, the capitals of the north-eastern states are being connected by railway and a network of highways is being built, he said.
PM Modi has visited the north-east more than 65 times, he noted, and urged the people to visit the region at least once to see its beauty and culture.
(With inputs from agencies)