AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami. File
| Photo Credit: E. Lakshmi Narayanan
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.
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.
When the AIADMK government is formed in three months (if elected in the Assembly polls), all women-family heads would be given ₹2,000 each every month, Mr. Palaniswami assured.
AMMK’s criticism
T.T.V. Dhinakaran, general secretary of the AIADMK’s ally Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam, argued even if the DMK government gave ₹50,000 to women, it was a certainty that the party would lose in the poll. “Regardless of the announcements made out of fear, nothing is going to work with people of the State,” the AMMK leader said.
On the Chief Minister’s poll promise of increasing the monthly monetary assistance to women heads of families to ₹2,000, Mr. Dhinakaran called it an “act of cheating” and said the “hasty move” was made due to DMK’s “fear of defeat” and not out of “genuine concern” for women.
Published – February 13, 2026 03:13 pm IST
