Honorarium for women given in advance as BJP, citing election, was taking steps to stop it through Court, says Speaker Appavu

Tamil Nadu government has given the monthly honorarium for women in advance as the BJP, which has already smothered the rural employment guarantee programme by reducing allocation of funds, was getting ready to destroy this pro-poor welfare scheme also by getting stay from the court citing election notification to be issued shortly, Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker M. Appavu has said.

Speaking to reporters, he said, while dismissing the Opposition parties’ criticism that ₹5,000 had been given in advance in view of upcoming Assembly election, said the monthly honorarium was given to 1.13 crore beneficiaries since September 2023 in the first phase in recognition of the women’s tireless service in every family. As a few more eligible members were inadvertently neglected, they were also brought under this scheme through ‘Ungaludan Stalin’ special camps to take the number of beneficiaries to 1.31 crore.

He criticised the BJP for portraying Opposition Leader Rahul Gandhi, who had only raised the anti-India components in the proposed US trade tariff structure, of speaking against India’s sovereignty.