PUDUCHERRY: Puducherry AIADMK State Secretary A Anbazhagan has lashed out at the territorial government led by Chief Minister N Rangasamy, accusing it of resorting to populist measures without the financial wherewithal to implement them. He alleged that the administration was attempting to woo voters ahead of the elections while leaving deep-rooted administrative inefficiencies unaddressed.
Speaking to reporters, Anbazhagan said several welfare measures announced during the recent budget session — targeting the poor, middle class, and student community — had yet to take off. “The government has not even begun distributing application forms for some of these schemes,” he claimed.
Among the major announcements were the proposed enhancement of monthly assistance from Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,500 for nearly 70,000 below-poverty-line families, which would entail an annual outlay of Rs 126 crore. Another key promise was Rs 1,000 monthly support to approximately one lakh women not currently covered under existing welfare schemes, requiring Rs 120 crore annually. However, Anbazhagan contended that none of these proposals had moved beyond the announcement stage.
He also flagged the government’s promise to increase old age pension assistance by Rs 500 for 1.81 lakh beneficiaries — including widows, the elderly, and the destitute — which would cost the exchequer Rs 108.6 crore per year. Enhancements in educational support for children of fishermen and the differently-abled, as well as increased assistance for marriages and funerals, would altogether push annual expenditure up by nearly Rs 400 crore, he said, adding that no corresponding budgetary allocation had been made.
“With elections around the corner, these hollow promises are clearly designed to mislead voters,” he charged, urging the government to focus instead on boosting revenue and plugging leakages in key departments such as registration, excise, transport, and commercial taxes. According to him, this could yield an additional Rs 1,250 crore annually.
Anbazhagan further took exception to the government’s decision to raise liquor licence fees and retail prices to generate Rs 90 crore, terming it an added burden on consumers. He instead called for broader reforms in the excise sector, which he claimed had the potential to bring in over Rs 750 crore.
He also demanded a revision of compensation offered under the Rajiv Gandhi Insurance Scheme, which has allegedly remained unchanged for over a decade.
Responding to former CM V Narayanasamy’s recent remark that the Congress would not take back “traitors” like Rangasamy, Anbazhagan retorted, “When did Rangasamy express any desire to return to the Congress? Narayanasamy should clarify this or consider exiting the party himself.”