We are negating what Delhi has been doing

A WEEK AFTER the special intensive revision (SIR) was rolled out in Tamil Nadu, the ruling DMK took to the streets in protest.

- LAKSHMI SUBRAMANIAN

The moment he walked into his office after the protest, State Industries Minister T.R.B. Rajaa received a call from Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin. “Give me 30 minutes. I will be back to take your questions,” he told THE WEEK, as he rushed into his car. As secretary of the DMK's IT wing and one of Chief Minister M.K. Stalin’s key ministers, Rajaa plays a huge role in decision-making in the party and the government. He kept his promise, and sat down with THE WEEK to talk on various issues—from new investments coming into the state to the SIR and the DMK’s prospects in the upcoming assembly elections. Excerpts:

Tamil Nadu has a target of $1 trillion economy. How does the government plan to achieve that?

The key to achieving a trillion-dollar economy is to ensure that we have distributed growth. A cluster in growth suffocates the output of talent.... We have ticked all the boxes when it comes to manufacturing services. We are now getting into research and development and patents.... In the primary sectors, too, we are pushing for value addition.... While India is growing at 6.6 per cent, we are growing at 11.19 per cent. This is a targeted approach.

How do you plan to attract global manufacturers shifting out of China, Vietnam and southeast Asia?

Tamil Nadu is the talent capital of India. Everybody who is shifting out of China, which is now known more for quality products than cheap ones, expects topnotch quality. For that, our pitch is research and development. We are not interested in incentive numbers, but in package value.