Tamil Nadu Opposition Criticises Chief Minister Vijay Over High Travel and Office Expenses

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay is facing severe criticism from opposition parties over heavy public spending on his official travel, security arrangements, and office relocations. AIADMK chief Edappadi K Palaniswami slammed the Chief Minister during a public meeting in Salem on Sunday, calling him a costly leader and claiming that security and transport arrangements for his recent visit to open the Mettur Dam cost more than five crore rupees.

Dam Opening And Water Shortages

Vijay travelled to Salem by a special flight and reached Mettur by road on September first to release water for irrigation and drinking needs in farming districts ahead of the growing season. This release was pushed back from the usual date of June twelfth because of low water levels in the reservoir and weak inflows from Karnataka. At the time of the event, the dam held about fifty four thousand million cubic feet of water against its total capacity of roughly ninety three to ninety five thousand million cubic feet. State BJP president Nainar Nagendran pointed out that the five crore rupee expense on this single event was even more than the original construction cost of the Mettur Dam, which was about four point eight crore rupees.

Office Relocation And London Visit

Leaders from the AIADMK, BJP, and DMK also questioned other recent expenses, including the shifting of the Chief Minister's Office to the tenth floor of the Namakkal Kavignar building. Opposition critics alleged this move was carried out on an astrologer's advice simply so the Chief Minister could enjoy the sea breeze through the windows. DMK spokesperson TKS Elangovan claimed that over four crore rupees was spent just for the dam opening ceremony, and also raised questions about the spending and outcomes of Vijay's recent official trip to London. That UK tour, which included a stop at the Silverstone motor-racing circuit and a meeting with actor and racer Ajith Kumar, had earlier drawn sharp questions from opposition parties regarding whether it was an investment trip or a personal holiday.