CHENNAI: AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami criticised Chief Minister MK Stalin’s announcement of advance cash assistance for beneficiaries of the Kalaingar Magalir Urimai Thogai, alleging that the move reflected panic ahead of the Assembly election.
Palaniswami said the decision to release the monthly assistance with arrears along with a special summer allowance was a clear sign of election-related anxiety. Taking a swipe at the Chief Minister, Palaniswami asked whether Tamil Nadu had not faced summer in previous years and questioned why a special allowance was not provided earlier. He alleged that the announcement was not driven by concern for women but by political compulsions.
Referring to the economic pressures on households, Palaniswami said that while the government claimed to have disbursed Rs 34,000 per beneficiary since September 2023, families were struggling due to the price rise, increased electricity tariffs, property tax hikes, and the higher cost of living. He said the benefits were being offset by the financial burden imposed on the public.
Copycat DMK announced that they would enhance aid to Rs 2,000 per month after fearing over the impact of AIADMK's Kula Vilakku scheme, he said.
PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss also toed the AIADMK chief's line, criticising the dole as a poll fear. He alleged that Chief Minister MK Stalin's claim that the advance payment was made to prevent potential legal hurdles was "baseless", arguing that ongoing welfare schemes would not be affected by the election model code of conduct. The PMK leader accused the DMK of implementing the women's entitlement scheme belatedly and in a "partial manner," leaving out a significant number of eligible beneficiaries despite its 2021 poll promise to provide Rs 1,000 to all women heads of ration card-holding families.
Meanwhile, senior BJP leader Tamilisai Soundararajan accused CM Stalin of using the KMUT advance disbursal as an election-time inducement and rejected allegations that the Union government had attempted to stall the scheme.
"Let the Chief Minister announce any scheme he wishes. But to claim that the Centre is trying to block it is completely untrue. It is against all norms to mislead people in this manner," she said.
Questioning the timing of the payout, Tamilisai said the government had failed to release the benefit for two years after announcing the scheme. "Why was it not given earlier? Why are they distributing it in a lump sum now, just before elections? If this is not politically motivated, what is?" she asked.