Opposition parties slam Tamil Nadu CM Stalin’s ₹5,000 payout to women under Kalaignar Magalir Urimai Thittam

Opposition parties criticize Tamil Nadu CM Stalin’s ₹5,000 payout to women, claiming it's an election tactic born from fear of defeat.

The Leader of Opposition and AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami, on Friday (February 13, 2026), reacted sharply to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin’s announcement of crediting ₹5,000 each to 1.31 crore women beneficiaries under the Kalaignar Magalir Urimai Thittam.

In a post on his social media handle, Mr. Palaniswami accused Mr. Stalin of suffering from “the fear of election defeat.”  The DMK government, which did not implement the scheme of transferring ₹1,000 each to women for 28 months (after coming to power), was now giving a “special summer assistance” component of ₹2,000 for the summer. “Did 2024 and 2025 not have summer, Mr. Stalin?” Mr. Palaniswami wondered. 

Having “made the State insecure” for women - from girls to senior citizens, will they (women) believe in this “patchwork” of providing “election time money?” Was this announcement not made out of “anxiety arising out of the exposure” being revealed by the AIADMK through its door-to-door campaign that every beneficiary-family had “lost at least ₹3,50,000,” while it had got only ₹34,000 from the State government since September 2023? Mr. Palaniswami asked.

Watch | Focus Tamil Nadu — Why Stalin’s basic income scheme for women in T.N. has not pleased everyone  

Watch: How Tamil Nadu’s ‘Kalaignar Magalir Urimai Thittam’ is uplifting women | Focus Tamil Nadu

On Mr. Stalin’s announcement over the hike in the monthly assistance (from ₹1,000) to ₹2,000 in the event of DMK returning to power after the upcoming Assembly election, the AIADMK general secretary said it had been made after he came out with the same as an electoral promise. Contrary to the original stand that all ration card holders would be covered under the scheme, the DMK government had “denied” the benefit to one crore Tamil women, Mr. Palaniswami charged.