CHENNAI: Leader of the Opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin on Wednesday gave "zero marks" to the maiden Budget presented by the TVK-led government, alleging that it merely rebranded schemes introduced during the previous DMK regime.
Speaking to reporters outside the Assembly after the Budget was presented, Udhayanidhi said the government had simply affixed new labels to existing welfare schemes.
"The government has merely pasted a sticker on schemes that were already being implemented during the DMK regime," he alleged.
Referring to the Thai Maaman Thanga Modhiram Scheme, Udhayanidhi claimed that during the election campaign, TVK president and now Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay had promised to provide a gold ring to all newborns, whereas the Budget restricted the benefit to children born in government hospitals.
"The Budget contains none of the major promises made during the election campaign. Only the names of the schemes have been changed, while the schemes themselves were implemented during the DMK regime," he said.
Former Finance Minister Thangam Thennarasu also criticised the Budget, saying the government's own figures contradicted the claims made in its White Paper on the State's finances.
Speaking at Anna Arivalayam, Thennarasu said that during the DMK regime, the projected revenue expenditure for 2026-27 was Rs 3.93 lakh crore, whereas the present Budget had increased it to Rs 4.05 lakh crore.
He further claimed that while the net borrowing projected during the DMK regime was Rs 1 lakh crore, the present Budget had increased it to Rs 1.22 lakh crore.
"The Budget itself proves that the allegations made against the previous DMK government in the White Paper on the State's fiscal position were false," Thennarasu alleged.