Madurai (Tamil Nadu), February 9 Senior AIADMK leader and former minister R B Udhayakumar announced on Monday that his party would organize massive statewide demonstrations across 16,640 village panchayats to counter what he termed as the DMK government's "false" propaganda regarding the rural employment guarantee scheme.
In a statement, Udhayakumar accused the ruling DMK of misleading the public by claiming that the 100-day work program was being cancelled.
He clarified that the AIADMK leadership had previously increased the work days to 125 and said the upcoming protests would explain the reality of the scheme to rural voters.
"The DMK is carrying out a malicious campaign alleging that the 100-day work scheme is being cancelled. This is a blatant lie. During the AIADMK regime, the work days were actually increased to 125 days. We are going to the people to explain the truth," Udhayakumar said.
The Union government's Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act, 2025 (VB-G RAM G), was passed by both houses of Parliament and received presidential assent in December 2025, effectively replacing the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) after two decades.
The AIADMK leader launched a sharp attack on Chief Minister M K Stalin, stating that the people of Tamil Nadu have gained zero benefits during the current administration despite the government conducting numerous conferences and rallies.
He alleged that the DMK's five-year tenure has been marked by unlimited protests but no tangible results for the common man.
"In the last five years, this government has focused only on holding countless protests and conferences. What is the result for the people? It is a big zero. The Stalin raj (rule) has yielded nothing but debt," he claimed.
Udhayakumar also defended the Union Budget 2026-27, describing the ₹53.47 lakh crore document as a significant step toward economic growth.
He criticised the DMK for dismissing the budget. He noted that the budget focuses on reducing the debt to GDP ratio from 56.1 per cent to 55.6 per cent while allocating ₹12.21 lakh crore for capital expenditure.
Highlighting specific benefits, the former minister pointed to the removal of customs duty on cancer drugs and the reduction in prices for mobile phones and electric vehicle components. He mentioned that the infrastructure announcements, including high-speed rail paths from Chennai to Bengaluru and Hyderabad, would greatly benefit the state.
Turning his focus to administrative issues, Udhayakumar cited recent irregularities in the TNPSC Group II exams as evidence of the government's failure.
He said an administration that cannot conduct a basic recruitment exam properly has no right to talk about high-tech governance.
"This government talks about 'Stalin 2.0', but they cannot even upload an exam result or conduct a test properly. The youth of Tamil Nadu are in distress, and the 2026 assembly elections will be a lesson for the DMK," he added.
Udhayakumar also said that the state's debt had risen to ₹10.5 lakh crore under the DMK rule. The youth would teach the ruling party a lesson in the 2026 assembly elections, he said.
