Tamil Nadu Budget Sparks Political Storm! AIADMK Walks Out, BJP Boycotts
EPS demanded the Government's resignation and criticised the lack of transparency and action despite an ongoing investigation.
In a dramatic start to the Tamil Nadu budget session, the opposition party AIADMK led by Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS) staged a walkout, accusing the DMK government of failing to address a liquor scam allegedly involving over Rs 1,000 crore in corruption.
Speaking to the media outside the Assembly, EPS demanded the Government's resignation and criticised the lack of transparency and action despite an ongoing investigation. He said no substantial action had been taken.
EPS also claimed that the opposition had submitted a no-confidence motion against the Speaker, but it was ignored and not taken up for discussion.
Besides, BJP too boycotted the proceedings. The party's representative in the assembly Vanithi Srinivasan justified the party's stand, alleging that the DMK insulted the Constitution by replacing the Devanagari rupee symbol with Tamil letter in the Budget logo. She argued that this was a deliberate move to undermine national symbols and distract from pressing issues such as the liquor scam flagged by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
She argued that while the Tamil rupee symbol is commonly used in private and personal writings, the official removal of the nationally accepted rupee symbol was a deliberate move. According to her, Chief Minister M.K. Stalin and his cabinet had taken oath under the Constitution, yet their actions undermined constitutional principles.
On Thursday (March 13), CM Stalin unveiled the promotional logo for the budget, featuring the new symbol along with the slogan “Ellarkum Ellam” (Everything for Everyone), emphasising inclusiveness.
However, the move has drawn sharp criticism from opposition leaders and Union Ministers, who have accused the DMK government of promoting linguistic and regional chauvinism. The Tamil Nadu budget session commenced with Finance Minister Thangam Thenarasu presenting the budget. However, the AIADMK’s walkout and the BJP’s boycott signal a stormy and contentious session ahead.
