Turull: "Catalan money subsidizes Andalusian gyms and pet dogs."

BarcelonaThe week in the Congress has struck down the immigration transfer In Catalonia, agreed between the PSOE and Junts, and with the relationship between the two parties hanging by a thread, Jordi Turull delved this Friday into the Socialists' failures in terms of financing. However, he did so by pointing to Andalusia to explain the grievances of the current model for Catalans. These statements were not well received by the Socialist ranks and have also received a response from the Regional Government, where the PP governs.

In an interview with The ideas cafe, from La 2 and Radio 4, the secretary general of the regional councils has once again called for the new financing system promised by Pedro Sánchez and agreed upon by the socialist government with Esquerra. And he used this example to justify himself: "Here [in Catalonia], we can't give aid like the lunch grant or the dependency law to many middle-class and working-class people who fund the welfare state. And with Catalan money, we subsidize Andalusians' gym memberships and the ability to own a dog."

Turull, who was referring to the tax cuts recently approved by the Andalusian government—which include deductions for veterinary expenses and sports—considered this to be "the number one perversion" of current funding and criticized the fact that, on the contrary, the Catalans "have done it to me." "That's why we say it's not just the powers regarding immigration, it's [also] the funding," he added.

The PSOE's response came from the Spanish Vice President and Minister of Finance, María Jesús Montero, who is also the Socialist candidate for the Andalusian Regional Government. In a tweet, she stated that "Andalusians do not live off anyone's subsidies. Not when Esperanza Aguirre said it, nor now when Turull says it," she added, making it clear that they will not tolerate these kinds of accusations. The President of the Generalitat (Catalan government), Salvador Illa, also responded to Turull: "Some are stuck in the past," he said in statements to the media from Sant Adrià de Besòs. Illa added that he heads a government that "looks to the future" and will continue to do so.

"Sorry, pro-independence supporters."

"Always the same old story: attacking Andalusia and looking down on us," added the president of the Junta, the popular Juan Manuel Moreno Bonilla, also through X. The leader of the PP in the community has demanded "respect" from Junts and has asked the Spanish government to join the defense of the " But he has also taken advantage of the opportunity to add, in a message that was intended to provoke, that his government will announce "another tax deduction." And he added: "Sorry, independentists."