"Reel government's first budget turned out to be total waste": MK Stalin

"Not only that, this is a 'remake version' budget of the Dravidian Model government's schemes," Stalin posted on X, adding, "The 'Reel Government's' first budget has turned out to be a damp squib--devoid of original thinking, failing to deliver on promises, and completely lacklustre."

Former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK president MK Stalin on Wednesday called the maiden budget of the TVK-led "reel government" a "waste", saying that it was devoid of original thinking and was entirely "lacklustre". He said the budget that some people were expecting to be a "blast" turned out to be a "total waste".

"Not only that, this is a 'remake version' budget of the Dravidian Model government's schemes," Stalin posted on X, adding, "The 'Reel Government's' first budget has turned out to be a damp squib--devoid of original thinking, failing to deliver on promises, and completely lacklustre." The DMK president argued that the budget presented in the Tamil Nadu legislative assembly today by the state government fails to address issues related to farmers and the increasing cost of living.

"To put it in the language of the common people: this is a budget that shows no concern for issues such as farmers' grievances, electricity tariff anomalies, or the rising cost of living, and fails to announce any new visionary schemes required for the state," he added. Stalin said that the budget fails to address the promises made before the 2026 Tamil Nadu assembly polls, which included allowances for women, unemployed youth and complete crop loan waiver for farmers in the state.

"This is a budget that does not even breathe a word about key promises such as - Rs 2,500 monthly allowance for women, Rs 4,000 for unemployed youth, six free LPG cylinders annually, and a complete waiver of crop loans," the former CM said. Earlier in the day, Tamil Nadu Leader of Opposition (LoP) Udhayanidhi Stalin argued that there was no scheme introduced in the budget to fulfil election promises. He also said that the state government has merely "pasted the name" of their party onto existing schemes such as the laptop scheme.

He further said that the finance budget presented by the TVK government on Wednesday lacks "a roadmap or announcement regarding their implementation". "There is no scheme in this budget to fulfil the promises made during the election campaign. We should thank the Finance Minister for acknowledging that Tamil Nadu ranks number one in many sectors. However, this government has merely pasted the name 'Vetri'--which is also the name of their party--onto existing schemes. We had announced a scheme to distribute 20 lakh laptops, of which 10 lakh had already been distributed," Udhayanidhi said in a press conference.

Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu Finance Minister Marie Wilson on Wednesday presented the state budget for the financial year 2026-27, outlining a visionary roadmap to transform the state into a 1.5 trillion-dollar economy by the year 2031. (ANI)