Tamil Nadu Budget: Palaniswami gives ‘zero marks’ to TVK government’s first Budget

On Wednesday, August 5, 2026, the AIADMK general secretary, Edappadi K. Palaniswami, harshly criticized the first Budget presented by the TVK-led coalition government, stating that he would only give it "zero marks." During a press conference at the Secretariat, Palaniswami highlighted that the ruling party had made numerous promises prior to assuming power, but none of them were reflected in the Budget.

He contended that the government had merely renamed existing schemes rather than introducing new ones. Palaniswami pointed out that the TVK had promised to raise the monthly allowance for women to ₹2,500 and the old-age pension to ₹3,000; however, neither of these promises were fulfilled in the Budget. He questioned why the government had not increased the medical insurance cover to ₹25 lakh for all families, as initially promised.

Furthermore, Palaniswami criticized the government for failing to address the revenue deficit, emphasizing that merely forming a committee would not suffice to restore the state's financial position. He reminded the audience that the previous DMK government had also formed an expert committee, which ultimately led to a ₹5 lakh crore increase in debt.

Palaniswami then referred to the AIADMK regime, mentioning the implementation of schemes like the gold-for-thaali scheme and the distribution of goats and cows, but noted that these initiatives came with specific terms and conditions.