O Panneerselvam to skip South India finance ministers' meet in Kerala, Tamil Nadu to send bureaucrats instead

Tamil Nadu deputy chief minister O Panneerselvam, who also holds the Finance portfolio, will skip the South Indian Finance Ministers conference called by Kerala government on Tuesday in Thiruvanthapuram, said media reports. Confirming the development, a source told  The News Minute that the meeting “was never part of his schedule. The Tamil Nadu government may send a bureaucrat to represent the state.” The AIADMK decided against sending Panneerselvam as the meeting was called by Kerala’s LDF government and will be attended by governments which are against the Modi government at the Centre, reported DNA. A senior AIADMK leader said, “We have been maintaining a cordial relationship with the Centre. We are against the changes made in the Terms of Reference (ToR) and we have opposed it. We will continue to voice our opposition without joining any other groupings.” [caption id=“attachment_1736021” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Tamil Nadu deputy chief minister O Panneerselvam. PTI[/caption] A Kerala government official told IANS that the information they got is that an official delegation from Tamil Nadu would be attending and almost all the Finance Ministers of the southern states, as well as that of Goa, have confirmed participation. He said the conference will discuss on the major issues faced by the southern states over the ToR of the 15th Finance Commission that would determine the share of states in the Central government’s tax revenue. The main contention of the Southern states is the usage of 2011 Census data as the reference point as against the 1971 data which would affect the Southern states that had controlled their population in the overall interests of the nation. Meanwhile PMK leader S Ramadoss said Panneerselvam should participate in the conference and register Tamil Nadu’s opposition to the ToR. By skipping the conference, the Tamil Nadu government fears the Central government will take note of its stand, he said, adding that the state would pledge its other rights with the Central government. With inputs from IANS