Tamil Nadu Assembly: All 59 DMK MLAs say no to government cars

On August 21, 2026, all 59 DMK MLAs in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly announced that they would not be accepting the cars provided by the State government. This decision was made based on the directions of DMK president M.K. Stalin. The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, C. Joseph Vijay, had previously announced that the government would provide a car to every MLA, along with a monthly stipend of ₹75,000 for its maintenance and fuel costs and ₹25,000 for hiring an assistant for each MLA.

Udhayanidhi Stalin, the Leader of the Opposition, referred to the financial constraints faced by the State exchequer highlighted by the Chief Minister and suggested that vehicles should only be provided to MLAs who genuinely needed them, taking into account their financial status. The Minister for Public Works, Aadhav Arjuna, stated that some newly-elected MLAs and some second-time MLAs were financially disadvantaged and in some cases, even second-time MLAs did not own cars.

Arjuna also mentioned that a VCK MLA was coming to the Assembly by bus. The Chief Minister's announcement was based on the principle that all members of the House were equal and a car was a basic requirement to meet people in their constituency. Former Minister K.N. Nehru argued that the Leader of the Opposition, who holds a rank equivalent to that of a Minister, was entitled to a government bungalow.

CPI MLA T. Ramachandran and PMK MLA A. Ganesh Kumar expressed their party's position of not needing the government car and suggested that the government should seek the opinion of MLAs before providing the vehicles.