Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Joseph Vijay’s announcement of free cars to all 234 MLAs of the state has triggered a massive showdown with the Opposition DMK.
Leader of Opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin announced that all 59 DMK legislators have decided not to avail the ‘free car’ offer
Arjuna also launched a personal attack on the Leader of Opposition, questioning his decision to stay in government-provided housing. Government vehicle will ensure transparent and corruption free governance,” the chief minister announced in the Assembly, justifying the expense. He challenged the TVK-led government’s consistency, pointing out that the administration has frequently highlighted the state’s financial distress since taking office. “Many of our MLAs really don’t have a house and car. Left party MLAs don’t have. When we make an announcement, it will be common to all. “The chief minister made the announcement treating all MLAs equally. If the LoP doesn’t want a car, why is he staying in government quarters when he has three bungalows?” the Minister asked. “MLAs need to travel to their constituencies frequently to address people’s problems. The Tamil Nadu government added that there are number of MLAs in the current Assembly who have been elected for the first time and come from humble backgrounds. They need a car to discharge their duties as people’s representative, Vijay added.
Leader of Opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin announced that all 59 DMK legislators have decided not to avail the offer. “Since the TVK government has been saying from day one after assuming power that the government is in debt, all 59 DMK MLAs have decided not to avail this offer. Chief Minister had on Wednesday announced that all 234 state MLAs will be given a government car to help them with their constituency related works. The Vijay government has also announced an allowance of Rs 75,000 per month for the MLAs for expenses on driver, fuel and maintenance of cars.
We urge the government to provide free cars to MLAs only after verifying their election affidavits–whether they already own cars and what their financial status is,” Udhayanidhi Stalin said. The Leader of Opposition further took a dig at the ruling party’s ideology, stating, “TVK said they were against freebies and kept saying the government is in debt; hence, we decided not to accept the offer to reduce the government’s debt burden. TVK’s stance is clear – those who already have a car will not apply for the govt vehicle,” the minister said clarifying the Vijay government policy.
