Tamil Nadu polls: BJP promises cash transfers, welfare sops and cultural planks in manifesto

Competing with the ruling DMK and its NDA ally, the AIADMK, the BJP has released its manifesto for the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, announcing a range of welfare measures—many of which are similar to those offered by the Dravidian majors.

The saffron party has promised ₹2,000 per month for every woman head of a family and a one-time cash assistance of ₹10,000 for every household to cushion inflationary pressures, along with three LPG cylinders a year free of cost. Further, the party has pledged ₹25,000 to eligible women for the purchase of e-scooters.

Advertisement

While the DMK has assured an increase in the existing ₹1,000 assistance provided to 1.31 crore women heads of families to ₹2,000, the AIADMK has also, in its manifesto, announced a hike to ₹2,000.

Additionally, it has proposed extending the current free bus travel scheme—presently limited to women—to men as well. The AIADMK has also promised a ₹25,000 subsidy for women to buy scooters.

Sharpening its strategy of polarisation, the BJP reiterated its commitment to “restore” the lighting of the deepam atop the Thiruparankundram hillock, above the ancient temple of Lord Murugan—one of the six revered abodes of the deity.

There is an ongoing dispute over the site, with the saffron party and Hindu outfits at odds with the state government, which maintains that the location is merely a survey stone.

According to the government, the deepam during the Tamil month of Karthigai is traditionally lit at the Deepa Mantap, near the Uchi Pillaiyar temple, situated above the Murugan temple. The issue remains sub judice.

“We will uphold and protect the sacred traditions of Tamil makkal (people) by ensuring the uninterrupted continuation of Karthigai Deepam, including lighting the Deepathoon atop the holy Thiruparankundram Hill, and take all necessary steps to preserve this practice for generations to come,” the manifesto states.

The so-called Deepathoon is located adjacent to a dargah, and the hill is also home to Jain monuments. Continuing its focus on Lord Murugan, a widely revered Tamil deity, the party announced that the Thai Poosam festival—an auspicious occasion celebrated by the Tamil diaspora worldwide—will be elevated into a state-wide celebration, given its status as a government holiday in Tamil Nadu.

Unveiling the manifesto, former BJP national president and Union Health and Family Welfare Minister J.P. Nadda accused the DMK government of entrenching dynastic politics and turning Tamil Nadu—often described as the cradle of one of the world’s oldest civilisations—into a hub of crime.

“While Stalin occupies the top post, his son Udhayanidhi is the heir apparent, and his half-sister Kanimozhi is a key partner, with the son-in-law acting as the manager. It is family rule, as this is how the party functions,” Nadda alleged, adding that the DMK had betrayed women, youth, farmers, and the marginalised.

“The DMK is a ‘Dynastic Money Kickbacks’ party, with Stalin not only remaining corrupt but also acting as a protector of the corrupt. In the last five years, they have only focused on enriching themselves,” he charged.

He further claimed that it is not the state that has failed, but the DMK that has failed the state on all fronts, adding that there is widespread resentment against the Stalin government for its inability to curb violence against women and children, as well as drug abuse.