A spat between Goa Transport Minister Mauvin Godinho and newly appointed Tamil Nadu Finance Minister P. T. R. Palanivel Thiagarajan erupted following the 43rd GST Council meeting on 28th May over the latter’s demand for preferential treatment for larger states.
Goa’s transport minister, Mauvin Godinho, stated on Saturday during a press conference that Tamil Nadu’s finance minister, Palanivel Thiagarajan, insulted Goa during the GST meeting by stating that because Goa is a small state, its views should not be given weightage.
Goa Transport Minister Mauvin Godinho demanded an apology from Tamil Nadu Finance Minister P.T.R. Palanivel Thiagarajan for disrespecting smaller states, including Goa, at the 43rd GST meeting, which was convened by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday.
Mauvin Godinho remarked during the press conference, “The Finance Minister of Tamil Nadu should apologize. What is he trying to tell me? That he is against the Constitution of the country? Does he not believe in the Constitution of India? Does he not believe in equality before law? Does he not believe that whatever your status, whatever your standing in society, whether your constituency comprises of lakhs of voters or a few thousand voters, everybody has got one vote.”
Furthermore, Godinho stated, “I want to remind the new Finance Minister of Tamil Nadu Mr. Palanivel, refrain from conducting yourself in a manner as a big brother versus small brother or big state versus small state. We all have equal rights. His attitude should be condemned by one and all right-thinking people. He should not target Goa.”
“I take strong offense to the way he conducted himself and expressed himself in the GST council. I want Stalin to condemn his minister for making such a statement and make him apologize,” said Godinho.
I was witness to a highly objectionable behaviour of the representative of DMK-@INCIndia alliance Govt of Tamil Nadu in GST Council Meet where, attempt was made to snub Goa's view because of being a Small State. This is against the democratic principles & Goans demand an apology.
— Mauvin Godinho (@MauvinGodinho) May 29, 2021
According to reports, Nirmala Sitharaman told Thiagarajan that all states are given equal weightage and that all decisions are made by consensus.
Post the meeting, Palanivel Thiagarajan had been attacking the Goa Transport Minister over tweets.
Saw that @MauvinGodinho of INC…
Sorry! 17 yrs ex-INC, now BJP, held press-conference where he LIED outright about what I said at the GST Council
Full Statement coming. For now, let me say enduring the noise from this empty vessel y'day was worst TORTURE of my political career
— Dr P Thiaga Rajan (PTR) (@ptrmadurai) May 29, 2021
Following this, the US educated Tamil Nadu Finance Minister issued a long statement in which he justified his stance at the GST Council meeting stating that ‘one state one vote’ and is fundamentally unfair and added that ‘Dravidian Movement’ was always for ‘States Rights’. He said that his entire statement during the meeting was consistent with these two principles.
He also went on to disclose certain proceedings of the meeting public through his statement in order to state that he was not against the interests of Goa.
Unbecoming of a person holding an esteemed public office, Palanivel Thiagarajan went on to make personal attacks on Goa’s Transport Minister.
As a relatively new entrant to public life, I hope I will one day attain the dignified restraint shown by @DrAmitMitra, @MSBADAL, and many other Hon'ble Ministers of the GST Council in the face of provocation
But today….I can not let blatant lies and hypocrisy go unanswered pic.twitter.com/WurmjUejgQ
— Dr P Thiaga Rajan (PTR) (@ptrmadurai) May 30, 2021
Palanivel Thiagarajan had earlier picked fight with Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev over the latter’s demand for freeing temples from state control. This had led to spat with two other public personalities namely former Infosys director Mohandas Pai and The Hindu’s Malini Parthasarathy.
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