CHENNAI: Strongly criticising Chief Minister and DMK president MK Stalin for crediting Rs 5,000 to women under the Kalaignar Magalir Urimai Thogai Thittam in advance, AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami, on Friday, reiterated his electoral promise that Rs 2,000 per month would be given to all women heads of families under the Kulavilakku Thittam, once the AIADMK comes to power.
Palaniswami also reacted to the Chief Minister's announcement on crediting Rs 5,000 to 1.31 crore women beneficiaries and that there are attempts to withhold the payment of Rs 1,000 per month during the next few months, citing the Assembly elections. "When no one is attempting to block any scheme, it is amusing that you (the CM) claim that attempts are being made to halt the scheme," he added.
"Have you seen the extent to which fear of electoral defeat is driving the puppet Chief Minister?," Palaniswami asked. He said that for 28 months, the Stalin government delayed and dragged its feet over paying Rs 1,000. Now, all of a sudden, it announced three months’ instalments together with a so-called "summer special allowance." On a sarcastic note, Palaniswami wondered whether summer seasons did not exist in 2024 and 2025.
Palaniswami said that after reducing Tamil Nadu to a state where no woman -- from a young girl to an elderly woman-- feels safe, they will not believe this election-time "patchwork" payment.
"From September 2023 to date, your government has paid Rs 34,000. But under your rule, each family has suffered a minimum loss of Rs 3,50,000. Is this announcement not born out of fear, as the AIADMK goes door to door exposing this through the Vidiya Aatchi Veettu Bill campaign? Now that you have seen AIADMK's election promise of Rs 2,000 per month, this announcement is clearly driven by fear of the 2026 Assembly elections," the AIADMK leader said.
Palaniswami accused Stalin of failing to fulfil the promise of Rs 1,000 to all ration card holders for five years, and then restricting the eligibility, thereby excluding one crore Tamil women.
He said that within three months, with the overwhelming support of the people, the AIADMK would assume office and would provide Rs 2,000 per month to every woman head of a family.
Meanwhile, AMMK general secretary TTV Dhinakaran, in a statement, said that even if the DMK were to give Rs 50,000 to women in Tamil Nadu, its electoral defeat would be inevitable. It criticised crediting Rs 5,000 as a move driven by fear of defeat rather than genuine concern.
Dhinakaran recalled that the DMK had promised Rs 1,000 per month to all women heads of families in 2021, but later restricted it to eligible beneficiaries. It is alleged that the new promise to raise it to Rs 2,000 was another attempt to mislead voters ahead of the Assembly elections.