Thursday, September 15 2005 20:18 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Chennai: Continuing his veiled attack on the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) Government for not taking steps to bring in new investments to set up industries, Union Communications and IT Minister Dayanidhi Maran today said more investments flowed into the state only after the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government took charge.

"In the last four-and-a-half years, nothing came to Tamil Nadu. Only after the UPA government came to power and I took charge as Communication and IT Minister all industries came to the state," he said after inaugurating the country's first lead-free integrated circuit plating facility of SPEL Semiconductor near Chennai.

Maran said those who claimed on creating world-class infrastructure in the state should go out of Tamil Nadu and look at the facilities in other countries.

"Now only the Union IT minister visits abroad and woos foreign companies to set up their facilities. I am the country's minister. So I am trying to bring the foreign companies to India first and to Tamil Nadu," he added.

Maran said more and more foreign companies would be setting up manufacturing facilities in the state by the year end "because of the UPA government's policy decisions."

He had said, at a function here a few days back, Tamil Nadu should wake up and take steps to improve infrastructure, as otherwise Chennai would go Bangalore's way. Immediately, the state IT minister, D Jayakumar lashed out, saying that the 'first time minister' Maran in a 'know all manner' had started making 'doomsday' predictions about Chennai and said IT industry was flourishing because of the 'meticulous attention' paid by Chief Minister Jayalalithaa in creating proper infrastructure and right ambience.