Marking International Women’s Day with a political message, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) president and actor Vijay on Saturday unveiled a set of welfare-oriented promises aimed largely at women voters, indicating the contours of the party’s emerging electoral platform in Tamil Nadu. | File Pic
Chennai: Marking International Women’s Day with a political message, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) president and actor Vijay on Saturday unveiled a set of welfare-oriented promises aimed largely at women voters, indicating the contours of the party’s emerging electoral platform in Tamil Nadu. The Welfare BlueprintAddressing a Women’s Day event in Chennai, Vijay announced a series of schemes that mirro and in some cases expand the welfare architecture that has long shaped Dravidian electoral politics in the State. Among the key promises were a monthly cash assistance of ₹2,500 for women heads of families, six free LPG cylinders a year, free bus travel for women, and a package of marriage and newborn benefits.The most prominent announcement was a ₹2,500 monthly assistance for women heads of families below 60 years, excluding households of State and Central government employees. The proposal resembles the Kalaignar Magalir Urimai Thogai scheme of the ruling DMK government, which provides ₹1,000 a month (to be doubled of DMK retains power) to eligible women heads of families.
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He also promised six LPG cylinders free of cost annually for each family, a move aimed at addressing household inflation pressures and appealing to lower- and middle-income families.Vijay announced the “Annan Seer” marriage assistance scheme, under which the government would provide eight grams of gold and a silk sari for women’s marriages. Education PushTo address school dropout concerns, Vijay proposed the “Kamarajar Education Assurance Scheme,” under which ₹15,000 annually would be given to students from Classes IX to XII to help them continue schooling.Another welfare promise, the “Thaai Maaman” scheme, would provide a gold ring and a newborn care kit for every girl child born in the State, signalling an attempt to link welfare with gender empowerment messaging.Women’s safety initiativesAlongside welfare schemes, Vijay also announced a set of measures focusing on women’s safety. He proposed the creation of 500 “Rani Velu Nachiyar” teams equipped with body cameras to prevent crimes against women.Additional measures include installing panic buttons in public transport vehicles, expanding CCTV surveillance, improving street lighting to eliminate dark spots, and establishing “Anjali Ammal” fast-track courts dedicated to crimes against women.“Our dream is to create a situation where crimes against women do not occur at all,” Vijay said. About funding such expansive welfare commitments, Vijay argued that the issue was not the availability of resources but corruption. Referring to what he called a “30% Stalin tax,” he alleged that large sums of public money were being siphoned off through corruption.
“If we remove such corruption, everything will run properly,” he said.Personal controversyVijay also briefly addressed recent discussions around his personal life, urging supporters not to be distracted.“I see many of you getting hurt while fighting for it. I get hurt when I see that. I will deal with it. Let us together focus only on the people’s problems,” he said.