The Tamil Nadu CM’s days after completing 100 days have been a whirlwind of announcements, political sparring and one particularly swift U-turn. Century up, celebrations over, Vijay is already back at the crease.
The government also announced a major change to maternity leave for women government employees. Vijay also announced that all MLAs would get government vehicles and a ₹ 1 lakh monthly package, comprising ₹ 75,000 towards fuel, maintenance and driver expenses and ₹ 25,000 for an assistant for office work. The government subsequently announced a ₹ 6,220-crore cooperative farm-loan waiver, expanded the school breakfast programme, allocated funds for laptops for college students and rolled out welfare measures for women and newborns. It also announced the closure of 717 TASMAC liquor shops located near educational institutions, places of worship and transport points.
The government said the move was intended to help legislators travel through their constituencies and take up development work.
One of the biggest bursts of announcements came in the Assembly, where Vijay unveiled measures covering milk producers, legislators, healthcare and women government employees. The description fits neatly with the government’s attempt to present Vijay as a hands-on administrator rather than simply an actor-turned-politician occupying the chief minister’s chair. If his first 100 days were about establishing the new TVK government, the days immediately after have offered a glimpse of a more assertive Vijay, willing to spend, reverse course and draw political battle lines.
From raising Aavin’s milk procurement price and expanding maternity leave to announcing vehicles and allowances for MLAs and threatening to open “corruption files” against the previous DMK government, Vijay’s post-century phase has been anything but quiet. The warning came after public works minister Aadhav Arjuna said the government would soon release a detailed White Paper, signalling that the TVK government’s battle with its predecessor could become a defining feature of the next phase of its tenure.
