DMK vs TVK: Udhayanidhi Stalin slams CM Vijay, accuses govt of selling 'polished rice' under PDS regime; what do we know

A fresh controversy has erupted in Tamil Nadu after Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) leader and Leader of Opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin accused Chief Minister Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK)-led government of polishing rice meant for free distribution under the Public Distribution Scheme (PDS) and selling it as Class A rice in fine variegated rice. ₹30 per kg.

According to news agency PTI, Stalin’s remarks came after complaints from consumers across the state. He accused the Vijay-led government of failing to be transparent and questioned the procurement process.

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Allegations against the TVK government

In a post on social media, Stalin claimed, “Government has announced that quality Ponni rice can be bought ₹30 in cooperative stores to counter rising rice prices. But people across the state are complaining that the regular free rice is just being polished and sold under this label. He further said, “When the people of Cumbum area confronted the TVK MLA over this polished rice, the MLA ran away from the spot.”

The Tamil Nadu LoP said distribution was limited to around 250 seats for the state’s 22.8 million family card holders, with each family allowed to buy only five kg, though complaints continued to surface.

Seeking a full explanation from the ruling government, Stalin said there should be no “polishing” of facts. He asked, “When did this government call for tenders to get quality Ponni rice? Which companies won the bids, at what price did they supply it and how much subsidy is the TVK government actually providing to the public?”

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He also drew a parallel with the previous DMK regime, recalling that former CM M Karunanidhi had introduced a special regime for public distribution through open tenders in 2007 when prices of essential commodities were high. Stalin said that under this scheme, the government provided palm oil, dal and pulses at subsidized rates.

AIADMK is targeting Vijay over governance priorities

Separately, the AIADMK also criticized Chief Minister Vijay, accusing him of prioritizing the renovation of his office over addressing key issues of governance and public welfare in Tamil Nadu.

On Monday, PTI reported that AIADMK senior leader RB Udhayakumar had accused Vijay of focusing more on office decorations, including name tags, and providing security for his inner circle than on key governance tasks like disaster management and inflation control.

In a video statement, the AIADMK president questioned the newly formed government’s priorities and said there was a massive lack of transparency in the recently launched state programme. ₹Scheme 30 per kg of fine grain rice.

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Udhayakumar said, “What is the Chief Minister’s job? Is it just to decorate the CM’s office, install plaques and beautify his residence? In times of calamities and heavy rains, one has to act on a war footing. Instead, your administration does not even know how to control rising prices of essential commodities.”

Regarding the steep rise in prices of essential commodities, he further said that open market rice prices have increased from ₹30 to ₹60 per kg for the last three months. To prevent prices from rising further ₹100 per kg, the government introduced a system of selling fine grain rice at ₹30 per kg.

However, the AIADMK leader described the scheme as “daylight robbery”. He alleged that the government illegally took 20 kg of loose rice, a scheme introduced by former Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa, polished and repackaged it as fine rice before selling it. ₹30 per kg.

“People who bought this rice are protesting in districts like Ariyalur, Salem and Namakkal. They are demanding their money back as the rice emits a foul smell and is not even suitable for feeding poultry,” he claimed, adding that the DMK government had earlier faced similar public backlash when it tried to sell rotten onions to control market prices.

The TVK government led by Chief Minister Vijay had not issued any statement regarding the dispute at the time of publication.

(with input from agencies)