‘Fake Beneficiaries, Crores Swindled’: AIADMK Charge Against DMK After PM Modi Lauds Central Schemes In TN
After Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the newly-constructed Pamban railway bridge in Tamil Nadu, the opposition AIADMK launched a scathing attack on the ruling DMK, accusing it of widespread misuse of funds and manipulation of beneficiaries under central government schemes.
AIADMK National Spokesperson Kovai Sathyan told news agency ANI, “We welcome anyone who brings in welfare measures and benefits for the state as well as for the people, but what is surprising is the tall claims made by the Prime Minister on the concrete houses and the piped water connections. Since DMK came to power, all the beneficiaries have been fake. All the central government-sponsored schemes; beneficiaries are not the real ones. Money worth crores and crores have been swindled. I’m not sure why the BJP is turning a blind eye towards it.”
On Prime Minister Modi’s comments regarding support for the fishing community, Sathyan noted, “The expectations from PM Modi were very high in Tamil Nadu because of his recent Sri Lankan visit. This is a never-ending and perennial problem for our Tamil Nadu fishermen, which needs to be treated with utmost precaution and priority. They should work out a solution that is feasible for both Sri Lanka and Tamil Nadu.”
Responding to PM Modi’s address, senior DMK leader TKS Elangovan remarked, “Anybody can say we have given a lot of schemes. All I want is for the government to list these schemes along with the amounts planned for every scheme. Why are Tamil Nadu fishermen being arrested by the Sri Lankan government anyway? Did PM Narendra Modi discuss this matter with the government of Sri Lanka during his visit to the country?”
PM Modi Highlights Govt's Allocations To TN, Welfare Schemes In Rameswaram
Prime Minister Modi, who inaugurated the Pamban bridge—India’s first vertical lift railway sea bridge—also flagged off a train service connecting Rameswaram island to the mainland. He laid the foundation stone for and dedicated rail and road infrastructure projects worth over ₹8,300 crore. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin was notably absent from the event.
In his speech, Modi said the inauguration took place on the auspicious occasion of Ram Navami, invoking Lord Ram’s ideal of good governance as the foundation for nation-building. Citing Sangam-era literature, he emphasised Tamil Nadu’s cultural connect with Lord Ram.
Touching upon the issue of fishermen detained in Sri Lanka, the Prime Minister said that over the last decade, more than 3,700 fishermen had been brought back from the island nation, including over 600 in the past year.
Amidst ongoing tension between the DMK-led state government and the Centre over fund allocation, Modi asserted that Tamil Nadu had received three times more central funds since 2014 compared to the earlier period. He highlighted that these increased allocations have significantly boosted Tamil Nadu’s economic and industrial development.
He also said, “Despite the increased allocation to Tamil Nadu, some cry over funds,” while pointing to various central schemes implemented in the state. He cited the construction of over 12 lakh concrete houses under the PM Awas Yojana, piped water supply to 1.11 crore rural families, and over 1 crore treatments under the Ayushman Bharat scheme which saved families nearly ₹8,000 crore.
Further, Modi noted that Tamil Nadu houses over 1,400 Jan Aushadhi Kendras and that nearly ₹12,000 crore had been disbursed to small farmers under PM Kisan Samman Nidhi. He added that Tamil Nadu farmers also benefited from claims totalling ₹14,800 crore under the PM Fasal Bima Yojana.
The Prime Minister underlined that the railway budget for Tamil Nadu had seen a more than seven-fold increase since 2014—from ₹900 crore to over ₹6,000 crore this year. He stated that with central government support, over 4,000 kilometres of roads have been constructed in Tamil Nadu since 2014. He also mentioned the elevated corridor project connecting Chennai Port as another key infrastructure development.
Describing the Pamban bridge as a symbol of the fusion of tradition and technology, he said it reflects how a town thousands of years old is now connected by a 21st-century engineering marvel. The 2.08 km bridge, built at a cost of over ₹700 crore, features 99 spans and a 72.5-metre vertical lift span rising to 17 metres, allowing both ship movement and fast train travel.
The event was attended by Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi, Union Ministers Ashwini Vaishnaw and L Murugan, and other elected representatives.
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