Chennai, Feb 15 (IANS) Senior Congress functionary Praveen Chakravarty on Sunday took a pointed swipe at the ruling DMK’s flagship women’s assistance scheme, stating that while the initiative is commendable, it would be “superstitious” to assume that welfare measures alone can guarantee electoral victory.

Chakravarty, Chairman of the Professionals’ Congress and Data Analytics department, made the remarks in a social media post days after Chief Minister M.K. Stalin announced the deposit of Rs 5,000 each to 1.31 crore women beneficiaries under the Kalaignar Magalir Urimai Thogai scheme.

“The Magalir Urimai Thogai scheme is a very good welfare initiative; laudable that it has been implemented. But it is superstitious to believe that it alone will ensure electoral success,” Chakravarty said.

He pointed out that in the last three years, only four out of nine governments in major states that introduced similar direct benefit schemes managed to retain power, suggesting that welfare initiatives do not necessarily translate into electoral gains.

Sharing data to support his argument, Chakravarty noted that five governments that rolled out comparable initiatives were voted out of office despite implementing direct financial assistance schemes aimed at women and economically vulnerable groups.

He cited the Congress’ defeats in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh in 2023, despite implementing schemes such as “Mehangai Rahat” and “Griha Lakshmi Yojana”, which were designed to provide financial relief and social security to beneficiaries.

He also referenced the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) government’s defeat in Telangana, where welfare measures had formed a key plank of its campaign narrative and were widely projected as instruments of electoral consolidation.

His comments come amid growing political friction between the DMK and its long-time ally, the Congress, particularly over the issue of power-sharing in Tamil Nadu and the Congress party’s demand for a greater role in governance.

A section of Congress leaders has been publicly advocating cabinet representation in the DMK-led government, a demand that the DMK leadership has so far firmly rejected, signalling underlying tensions within the alliance.

On Saturday, Chief Minister Stalin said his government’s decision to credit Rs 5,000 to each beneficiary had “surprised the people and shocked the enemies” who allegedly attempted to freeze the scheme ahead of the Assembly election.

The Tamil Nadu government clarified that the amount included three months’ assistance of Rs 3,000 (Rs 1,000 per month) and an additional Rs 2,000 to help women manage summer-related expenses and household needs.

Stalin also alleged a conspiracy by political opponents to stall the scheme, asserting that he would not allow it to be halted under any circumstances and reaffirming his government’s commitment to welfare delivery.

Chakravarty’s remarks were seen as a response to recent comments by senior DMK leader R.S. Bharathi, who suggested that the disbursal of funds would silence talk of power-sharing and political bargaining within the alliance.

As the Assembly election approaches, the exchange highlights emerging strains within the DMK–Congress alliance over both welfare policy narratives and political strategy, even as both parties continue to remain formally aligned.

–IANS

aal/pgh