NEW DELHI: Former Tamil Nadu chief minister and DMK president M K Stalin on Wednesday launched a scathing attack on the TVK government’s maiden Budget, calling it a “waste” that merely repackaged schemes introduced during the previous DMK regime while failing to address people’s key concerns or fulfil major election promises.In a post on X shortly after finance minister Marie Wilson presented the 2026-27 Budget in the Assembly, Stalin mocked chief minister C Joseph Vijay, referring to him as the “Reels CM”, and said the Budget lacked both originality and vision.
‘Expected a blast, got a waste’
“If I had to explain today’s TNBudget2026, presented in the Legislative Assembly, in a language that even the ‘Reels CM’ would understand: People were expecting it to be a ‘Blast, Blast’ budget, but it has turned out to be more like ‘Waste, Waste’!” Stalin said.He alleged that the Budget was “nothing more than a remake version of the Dravidian Model government’s existing schemes” and accused the government of failing to offer any meaningful solutions to pressing public issues.“In the language of the common people, this is a budget that shows no concern whatsoever for issues such as the problems faced by farmers, the electricity tariff confusion, or the rising cost of living. Nor does it announce any new long-term visionary plans that the state truly needs,” he said.Stalin further alleged that the government had ignored several major promises made before the Assembly elections, including a monthly financial assistance of Rs 2,500 for women, Rs 4,000 for unemployed youth, six free LPG cylinders every year and a complete waiver of crop loans.“Overall, this is the first budget of the ‘Reels Government’—a budget that shows no original thinking, fails to deliver even on what was promised, lacks substance and vigour and ultimately turns out to be a dull, lacklustre budget,” he said.
What the TVK government announced
Earlier in the day, finance minister Marie Wilson presented the TVK government’s first Budget, laying out a roadmap to make Tamil Nadu a $1.5 trillion economy by 2031.The Budget allocated Rs 300 crore for the modernisation of 3,734 government schools and Rs 139 crore for the first phase of the ‘Super Clean, Super Campus’ initiative in 10,000 schools. It also announced the launch of the ‘Vetri Laptop Scheme’ for college students and allocated Rs 44,527 crore for the School Education Department and Rs 8,393 crore for Higher Education.The government also proposed modern residential schools under the Perunthalaivar Kamarajar Model Schools scheme, a new law college in Madurai, five new Industrial Training Institutes and a specialised levy on liquor production units expected to generate around Rs 1,000 crore in additional revenue.
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The Budget also earmarked more than Rs 1,000 crore for welfare promises, including an eight-gram gold coin and silk saree for eligible brides under the “Annan Seer” scheme, one-gram gold rings for newborns delivered in government hospitals, free milch cows for eligible women and subsidised livestock support for vulnerable groups.
Opposition parties target budget
Along with Stalin’s criticism, AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami also dismissed the Budget as disappointing, alleging that the TVK government had merely rebranded existing schemes instead of introducing new welfare initiatives.Palaniswami similarly accused the government of failing to implement major election promises, including enhanced financial assistance for women, six free LPG cylinders and a comprehensive farm loan waiver, while questioning its plan to tackle Tamil Nadu’s growing debt burden.
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