Tamil Nadu Finance Minister Marie Wilson said on Monday that the Tamil Nadu Assured Pension Scheme (TAPS), introduced by the DMK government, would be implemented if the Union government granted sanction for borrowing the ₹11,000 crore earmarked for the scheme.
Responding to AIADMK MLA Sevvoor S. Ramachandran, Mr. Wilson said, “TAPS can be implemented only when the Government of India approves the borrowing. Until then, we have decided to give an interim payout to those who retired or are retiring on or after January 1, 2026. We will do it as soon as the Union government accords sanction,” he said.
Earlier in the day, AIADMK Nannilam MLA R. Kamaraj said the TVK’s maiden Budget did not have any announcement related to the party’s election promises, including ₹2,500 a month for women, free travel for women in all buses, financial assistance of ₹4,000 for the unemployed, and improved financial assistance to the elderly and persons with disabilities. He said, “Nothing has been announced. You have just announced that the Budget has been named ‘Vettri Budget’. It is a disappointing Budget. The prices of essential items have increased. The Finance Minister said the government required two years to stabilise the State’s finances. On the same day, officials said the debt could never be reduced even after 50 years. Is this why you have constituted a committee headed by renowned economist Montek Singh Ahluwalia?”
Mr. Wilson responded, “We have communicated the financial situation when we released the White Paper. In 2021-22, the revenue deficit was ₹46,538 crore and in 2025-26, it was ₹78,324 crore. This is the highest ever. The State’s Own Tax Revenue has declined from 5.93% to 5.45%. The GSDP growth rate has declined from 1.79% to 1.44%. It is in this situation that the TVK has formed the government.”
He added, “In this Budget, we have announced the implementation of 125 of the 436 promises made in our manifesto. As for the borrowings, in 2025-26, the DMK government had borrowed ₹19,337 crore. In this quarter, we have borrowed ₹20,881 crore. Many have said this is higher. But, when we consider it along with the GSDP for the respective quarters (borrowings/GSDP), the DMK government had borrowed 0.54%, while the TVK government has borrowed 0.51%. We are reducing the debt.”
Mr. Ramachandran also urged the government to state in clear terms when and how the TVK’s election promises would be implemented. “Earlier, the government said the financial assistance for foodgrains and sugarcane is historic. This increase happens every year. Next year, you have to increase the assistance... This is not historic. How could anyone give the assistance given this year in 2016?”
Food and Civil Supplies Minister P. Venkatramanan responded, “In the years it was in power, the DMK had never given more than ₹100 for Grade A/common grade varieties. In 2023-24, Grade A saw an increase of just ₹7. In 2025-26, there was an increase of ₹26 for Grade A and common grade. However, within three months, we saw the hardship faced by the farmers, and have increased the amount for Grade A from ₹156 to ₹289 and for the common grade from ₹131 to ₹156. We have increased it in a historical manner.”
AIADMK general secretary and former Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami criticised the response by saying, “The subsidy given at present cannot be compared with what was given in the past. The cost of labour, fertiliser and diesel [in the past] could not be compared with what it is now. The increase in assistance reflects that. You have to take that into account.” Minister K.A. Sengottaiyan urged Mr. Palaniswami to state whether there had ever been a time when farmers received ₹4000 per tonne.
However, Mr. Palaniswami said, “He should know who was the Minister during the AIADMK government. Between 2020-26, many factors had changed. The subsidy reflected it. The profits that were made back in the day were similar to what they are today.”
Minister flustered
Kadayanallur MLA Thi.Mu. Rajendran, of the DMK, urged Mr. Wilson to speak in fluent Tamil, instead of liberally using English words as he did in his Budget speech. School Education Minister Rajmohan quipped that the Finance Minister had presented an honest Budget. “Every dialect of Tamil is unique. It is enough if Members speak in colloquial Tamil. Is the Leader of the Opposition speaking in Classical Tamil? If at all the Finance Minister needs to be in class, he should be schooling all party members after presenting an honest Budget,” he said.
The Finance Minister, meanwhile, appeared flustered and responded that he could not change his style of speech for anyone. “I am a basketball player. I can play offence or defence. I have been in the education sector for 30 years. I have communicated only in English. More recently, we have seen some indulging in body-shaming and speaking ill of women. Now, they are mocking the language skills of others. Christianity has taught me the language of love, peace, and mercy. Some will never understand it. I cannot change myself,” he said. He continued to speak even after Speaker J.C.D. Prabhakar advised him to “take it in a lighter vein”.
DMK leader E.V. Velu and PWD Minister Aadhav Arjuna also tried to play it down. The Speaker added that both English and Tamil are the official languages of the Assembly; hence, they can be used by the Members.
