AIADMK’s R.B. Udhayakumar flays DMK for not distributing ₹5,000 for Pongal this year

AIADMK Deputy Leader of the Opposition R.B. Udhayakumar, in the State Assembly on Friday, flagged the rise in price of essential commodities and sought to know why the “Pongal prize” was just ₹3,000, when Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin had demanded that ₹5,000 be distributed for Pongal during the AIADMK’s tenure.

Mr. Udhayakumar said: “They just added ₹100/year and gave ₹3,000 for Pongal [this year].”

He also questioned whether laptops were being distributed to college students in view of the upcoming Assembly election.

Responding to the allegations of price rise, Transport Minister S.S. Sivasankar asked Mr. Udhayakumar whether the AIADMK government had addressed the issue. Minister for Food and Civil Supplies R. Sakkarapani said everyone understood how the quality of rice improved dramatically.

PWD Minister E.V. Velu pointed out that the per capita income had increased. “An increase in per capita income is often accompanied by increase in prices. The overall income of a family has increased,” he said.

In his response, Mr. Udhayakumar said: “He is saying that the people’s buying power has increased. What I am saying is that the price of essential goods has increased. During Amma’s administration, whenever there was a rise in price, a separate fund of ₹100 crore was created to stabilise the prices.” Minister for Co-operatives K.R. Periyakaruppan added that the fund was in use even today.

‘Increasing crimes’

Mr. Udhayakumar further alleged that the growing number of crimes showed that the government was not maintaining law and order in the State.

Responding to the criticism, Mr. Sivasankar said the previous AIADMK government had indulged in “State-sponsored terror” when it killed 18 people in Thoothukudi. He added that the crimes reported in the State occurred mostly due to personal enmity.

Law Minister S. Regupathy said: “He is quoting reports from the media. Tamil Nadu is the only State that is reporting fewer incidents of crime in India.”

He further said that while the Governor’s address mentioned the distribution of laptops to 10 lakh students, the students in Tamil Nadu had lost many opportunities in artificial intelligence and information technology in the last four-and-a-half years.

Laptop distribution

“The laptops are being distributed at the fag end of the government, and why are students who are graduating from college being given laptops? What was the issue in continuing the scheme?” he asked.

Finance Minister Thangam Thennarasu said, “We announced the scheme for students who were already in their final year. But, from next year, the cycle would be corrected and laptops would be given to first-year students. Only for this year have we distributed them to final-year students so as not to disappoint them.”