AIADMK senior leader and former minister S. Semmalai urged political parties in Tamil Nadu to avoid announcing excessive freebies ahead of the assembly elections. He highlighted the state's rising debt and called for prioritizing capital expenditure on development over vote-bank welfare schemes.
On Saturday, 80-year-old AIADMK senior leader and former education and health minister S. Semmalai, who represented Salem in the Lok Sabha from 2009-14, called on political parties to refrain from announcing a slew of freebies. Responding to whether such electoral promises would aid Tamil Nadu's development, he said emphatically: “Definitely not! This should be avoided. Leaders of political parties should realise this.” He noted this applies to the Union government as well. The state government's outstanding debt is projected to exceed ₹10 lakh crore by 2026-27, up from about ₹5.19 lakh crore five years ago—double the accumulation over the previous 50 years. Loans are even being taken to pay interest, he added. Semmalai criticised the DMK government for failing to substantially increase capital expenditure over the past five years, alleging funds were “frittered away” on freebies driven by “vote bank politics.” He urged higher future allocations for infrastructure projects to boost revenue generation. While not advocating the abolition of freebies, he suggested targeting them to needy and vulnerable sections, perhaps as grants rather than blanket giveaways. On AIADMK's own freebie promises, he remarked: “there is no other way out. Like any other party, we also have to dress up. But, when we come to power, we will correct the trend and provide more funds for capital expenditure.” Addressing the party's recent electoral setbacks, Semmalai emphasised its intact infrastructure and network, recalling AIADMK's seven victories over DMK and retaining Leader of the Opposition status in 2021 despite post-Jayalalithaa turmoil, when its front won 75 seats. He dismissed Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) led by actor Vijay as an “untested force,” noting not all fans would become workers, unlike MGR's swift electoral successes after founding AIADMK in 1972.
