In the lead‑up to the 2026 Tamil NaduAssembly elections, Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS), general secretary of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), has sharpened his party’s poll pitch with a bold financial promise.
EPS has aimed at countering the welfare measures rolled out by the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) government by announcing that if AIADMK comes to power, it would provide a one‑time relief of ₹10,000 to every family in the state to help ease economic hardship.
Campaigning in the Maduravoyal and Poonamallee Assembly constituencies under the banner of his outreach initiative “Makkalai Kaapom, Tamilagathai Meetpom” (Save People, Redeem Tamil Nadu), Palaniswami cast his offer as a more substantial and people‑oriented alternative to the DMK’s recently announced ₹5,000 assistance for women under its welfare programmes.
He accused the incumbent government of burdening the public with inflation, higher taxes, and increased fees over the past five years.
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‘People waiting to bring back AIADMK to power’
Palaniswami described the AIADMK’s proposed ₹10,000 ex‑gratia payment as a way to offset the financial strain “imposed” by the ruling regime and said the announcement had been “widely welcomed” by voters, who he claimed were eager for change, The Federal reported. According to him, “people are waiting for the elections to bring the AIADMK back to power.”
In his remarks, he also sought to characterise the DMK’s ₹5,000 pay out as a politically timed gesture driven by “fear of defeat” in the upcoming election, suggesting the lesser amount lacked real impact compared with AIADMK’s larger pledge.
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EPS criticises DMK’s ‘summer grant’
Palaniswami further criticised the inclusion of a Rs 2,000 “summer grant” component within the Rs 5,000 pay out, remarking that the move appeared timed with the polls, according to Economic Times. Referring to Stalin’s earlier jibe that “two zeros add up to zero” in reference to the AIADMK’s electoral performance, he said voters would return the favour.
Tamil Nadu is expected to head to polls before 10 May to elect all 234 members of the Legislative Assembly. |
