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A heated debate erupted in the Tamil Nadu Assembly on Friday after the opposition DMK officially rejected Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay's offer of free official vehicles for all 234 MLAs, citing the state's mounting debt.
Leader of Opposition (LoP) Udhayanidhi Stalin announced that all 59 DMK legislators have decided not to avail the offer. He challenged the TVK-led government's consistency, pointing out that the administration has frequently highlighted the state's financial distress since taking office. "Since the TVK government has been saying from day one after assuming power that the government is in debt, all 59 DMK MLAs have decided not to avail this offer. We urge the government to provide free cars to MLAs only after verifying their election affidavits--whether they already own cars and what their financial status is," Udhayanidhi said. The LoP further took a dig at the ruling party's ideology, stating, "TVK said they were against freebies and kept saying the government is in debt; hence, we decided not to accept the offer to reduce the government's debt burden." Responding sharply, Minister Adhav Arjuna defended the move, stating that the Chief Minister intended to treat all MLAs equally. He specifically highlighted that many MLAs from smaller parties like the VCK and Communist parties are in poor financial condition and that cars are not a luxury but a basic need for them to visit all areas in their constituencies. Arjuna also launched a personal attack on the LoP, questioning his decision to stay in government-provided housing. "The CM made the announcement treating all MLAs equally. If the LoP doesn't want a car, why is he staying in government quarters when he has three bungalows?" the Minister asked. This prompted an intervention from senior DMK leader KN Nehru, who clarified that the LoP holds a cabinet-rank status and is required to stay in official housing to discharge his duties effectively. CPI MLA Thalai Ramachandran stated that his party would also decline the vehicle offer. Meanwhile, PMK MLA Ganesh Kumar suggested a middle path, agreeing with the LoP that the government should verify the financial status of legislators before handing out vehicles. This comes after Chief Minister Vijay on Wednesday announced that the state government will provide an official vehicle to all 234 MLAs, along with a monthly allowance of Rs 1 lakh for maintenance, driver, and office assistance. Following this, car models including Mahindra SUVs (Scorpio and XUV 3XO) were lined up at the Secretariat yesterday for legislators to choose from. (ANI)
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