MK Stalin's Rs 5,000 to women sparks pre-poll face-off in Tamil Nadu

In Tamil Nadu, Chief Minister MK Stalin announced that Rs 5,000 has been credited to the accounts of 1.31 cr women under the Kalaignar Magalir Urimai Thogai scheme.

Under the scheme, eligible women receive Rs 1,000 per month. Stalin said with elections approaching, there could be hurdles in disbursing funds in the coming months. To avoid disruption, the government released advance payments for February, March and April, along with an additional Rs 2,000 as a summer special allocation.

"Using elections as an excuse, they are trying to stall the rights allocation for three months... With the support of Tamil women we will win the upcoming Assembly elections too. In Dravidian Model 2.0, we will increase the monthly allocation from Rs 1,000 to Rs 2,000 post the elections," Stalin posted on X.


The opposition AIADMK criticised the move, calling it a pre-poll measure driven by fear of defeat. The party has announced its own 'Kula Vilakku Thittam', promising Rs 2,000 per month to all women ration card holders. AIADMK claims nearly one crore women are excluded from the current scheme.