Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin Saves Rs 13 Crore By Retaining Photos Of Ex CMs On School Bags

Chief Minister MK Stalin has saved Rs 13 crore by allowing his government to retain the photos of former AIADMK chief ministers J Jayalalithaa and Edappadi K Palaniswani on 65 lakh school bags

Chennai: Whenever the government changes in Tamil Nadu, it has been a common practice for the ruling parties to remove the photos and other markers of the opposition from public schemes and replace it with their own. Overcoming the practice by extending an amicable hand to the opposition, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister has saved about Rs 13 crores. 

The assembly on Thursday held a debate on the school education department’s grant request. Speaking at the assembly, School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi said that the chief minister MK Stalin has saved Rs 13 crore by allowing his government to retain the photos of former AIADMK chief ministers J Jayalalithaa and Edappadi K Palaniswani on 65 lakh school bags, according to a report from the Hindu. 

The bags were meant for distributing free of cost to the government school students. 

Quoting the minister, the report further said that he had received several complaints from partymen about the photo and when it was taken up to the notice of the chief minister, the latter had told him that he is a minister and more so should not speak like a partyman. The chief minister further asked him to visit Arivalayam if he wants to discuss politics, the report added.

Speaking to ThePrint, DMK Rajya Sabha MP Tiruchi Siva said that CM Stalin has been cordial with all parties and alliance partners and his style of governance is similar to that of former Chief Minister CN Annadurai.

“He felt that the Rs 13 crore could be put to better use in some other scheme, so it was a very practical decision,” Siva told ThePrint. 

Even the opposition party has welcomed the move. According to the report, Senior AIADMK leader JCB Prabhakar said that the move indicates that the ruling DMK has changed its attitude towards the opposition. 

But this is not the first time Stalin has extended an amicable hand to the opposition. The chief minister had ordered restoration of the name board and portrait of former chief minister J Jayalalithaa at the eatery when DMK partymen vandalised Amma Unnavagam (canteen) in Chennai in May. Expelling both of them from the party, the CM also took legal action against them.