TVK government changes name of DMK's free bus travel scheme for women, sparks row

Chennai,UPDATED: Jul 11, 2026 14:15 IST

The ruling TVK in Tamil Nadu has renamed the DMK's flagship free bus travel scheme for women from "Magalir Vidiyal Payanam" to "Magalir Payanam", triggering a sharp response from the opposition party.

While the benefits under the scheme remain unchanged, the removal of the word "Vidiyal" has set off a political row.

"Vidiyal", which means dawn in Tamil, was used extensively by the DMK during its 2021 Assembly election campaign as part of its political branding.

The new name is now being prominently displayed on the digital destination boards of public transport buses run by the MTC and TNSTC.

The move, carried out without any announcement, was made under the Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam government and caught the DMK unaware.

Though the change was swift and silent, it quickly went viral on social media, with commuters sharing photos and videos of the updated bus boards.

Criticising the move, DMK leader Thangam Thennarasu said, "You can change the name but not history". In a post on X, he said, "Changing the name of the scheme, which has made a huge difference in the daily lives of women, was not an administrative action for the benefit of the people but an attempt to erase political identity."

He also said, "The success of a project is not determined by its name but by the progress it has made in the lives of the people. The time and energy spent on name changes should be spent on new projects that improve the livelihood of the people and strengthen services," calling the move "politically motivated".

The renaming has thus left the scheme's benefits intact, but has sparked a wider argument over political identity and credit.

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