Total waste, damp squib: MK Stalin blasts Vijay govt's first budget

Published 5 August 2026 · politics

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK president MK Stalin on Wednesday dismissed the TVK government’s maiden budget as a “damp squib”, accusing it of recycling

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK president MK Stalin on Wednesday dismissed the TVK government’s maiden budget as a “damp squib”, accusing it of recycling schemes introduced by the previous administration while remaining silent on several major election promises. Taking a swipe at what he called the “reel government”, Stalin said a budget that had been expected to be a “blast” had turned out to be a “total waste”. Read Full Story “The ‘Reel Government’s’ first budget has turned out to be a damp squib, devoid of original thinking, failing to deliver on promises and completely lacklustre,” Stalin said in a post on X. He described the budget as a “remake version” of schemes introduced under the DMK’s “Dravidian Model” government. STALIN FLAGS UNFULFILLED POLL PROMISES Stalin accused the TVK government of failing to address farmers’ concerns, anomalies in electricity tariffs and the rising cost of living.

He said the budget neither offered a major new welfare initiative nor laid out a clear vision for the state’s development. The DMK chief also questioned the absence of several promises made by the TVK ahead of the 2026 Assembly election. “This is a budget that does not even breathe a word about key promises such as a Rs 2,500 monthly allowance for women, Rs 4,000 for unemployed youth, six free LPG cylinders annually and a complete waiver of crop loans,” Stalin said. UDHAYANIDHI CALLS IT A REBRANDING EXERCISE Leader of the Opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin also alleged that the government had failed to introduce schemes to fulfil its election commitments and had instead rebranded programmes launched by the previous DMK administration. He cited the laptop distribution programme, alleging that the government had merely attached the word “Vetri”, associated with the ruling party, to an existing scheme without presenting a clear roadmap.

“There is no scheme in this budget to fulfil the promises made during the election campaign,” Udhayanidhi said. He said the Finance Minister had acknowledged Tamil Nadu’s leading position in several sectors while presenting new initiatives that had already been launched under the previous government. TVK GOVERNMENT UNVEILS MAIDEN BUDGET Tamil Nadu Finance Minister Marie Wilson on Wednesday presented the 2026-27 budget, outlining plans to make the state a $1.5-trillion economy by 2031 and ease its financial crunch. Wilson praised Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay for curbing alleged “cuts” in government tenders and promised greater transparency in public spending. The budget allocated over Rs 1,300 crore for two TVK poll promises: Rs 812 crore to provide eligible brides with eight grams of gold and a silk saree, and Rs 560 crore for gold rings for babies born in government hospitals.