Chennai: Within a day of CM C. Joseph Vijay announcing that the Tamil Nadu government would provide official vehicles to all 234 MLAs, various car models were brought to the Secretariat Thursday for legislators to pick from. Among these were Mahindra SUVs, variants of Scorpio and XUV 3XO, including some marked as test-drive vehicles.
Besides a four-wheeler, each MLA will also receive a monthly allowance of Rs 1 lakh, which includes Rs 75,000 for the driver’s salary, fuel and maintenance, and an additional Rs 25,000 for hiring an office assistant or secretary. The announcement was made under Rule 110 in the Assembly after VCK MLA L.E. Jothimani raised the issue of logistical support for legislators. Vijay said many MLAs, particularly first-time legislators from humble backgrounds, needed government vehicles to travel regularly in their constituencies, address public grievances and monitor projects without depending on others.
The move drew sharp criticism from the DMK, the primary opposition party, which questioned both the need for the scheme and its financial implications, especially in light of earlier statements by the TVK-led government that it inherited an “empty” state treasury.
The announcement also triggered a debate over conflicting reports regarding MLAs’ existing assets and vehicles. While the government has pointed to first-time legislators from modest backgrounds, election affidavits and social media videos show that some MLAs who claimed that they did not have cars, already own multiple vehicles, including luxury models.
In one such instance, TVK’s Periyakulam MLA G. Sabari Iyngaran told the Assembly that he neither owned a car nor had a job earlier, recalling that he used to travel to Chennai by train and then take an auto to the Assembly. He thanked Vijay for now providing both a car and monetary assistance. However, in his election affidavit Iyngaran declared ownership of a Tata Tigor, and videos circulating on social media show him travelling through his constituency in vehicles fitted with MLA nameplates, including instances of him interacting with the public through the sunroof—calling into question his claim of having no personal car.
Meanwhile, DMK spokesperson Saravanan Annadurai questioned if the move will even be implemented since the announcement was made under Rule 110 and does not have budgetary backing. “The announcements were made under Rule 110 when Jayalalithaa was in power, and many of the schemes announced under it did not see the light of day. Now, Vijay has also announced this scheme under Rule 110, so we do not know whether it will become a reality, as there is no budgetary allocation,” he told ThePrint.
Saravanan called it a populist scheme aimed at attracting attention, and said it would definitely face severe backlash from the people. “I don’t think any MLA is without a car. If any MLA does not have one, it is the party’s responsibility to take care of it, not the government’s. Therefore, I don’t think it is the right move to provide cars to all MLAs and allocate funds for their maintenance,” he added.
The criticism comes against the backdrop of TVK’s earlier claims, made soon after assuming office, that the previous DMK government had left the treasury “empty” and burdened the state with a ballooning debt. DMK leaders have highlighted the apparent contradiction. However, none of the DMK MLAs have expressed their stance on whether they would accept or decline the cars offered by the government.
DMK spokesperson T.K.S. Elangovan also questioned where the government would source the money for the scheme. “I don’t know where the money comes from. They are giving cars to MLAs, they are giving Rs 1 lakh for expenditure on cars to MLAs. Now they are increasing all those things, but they say that the DMK government had failed since the previous regime borrowed so much money and left the treasury vacant. So what they talk and what they do is different. They are cheating the people of Tamil Nadu,” he told ANI.
Estimates suggest the monthly allowances alone could cost the exchequer around Rs 2.34 crore per month, excluding the capital cost of purchasing the vehicles. The government has indicated that necessary amendments and official orders will be issued to implement the scheme for all MLAs, irrespective of party.
(Edited by Prakhar Agrawal)
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