Tamil Nadu interim budget: Anbumani accuses DMK govt of pushing state into debt trap

CHENNAI: Commenting on the 2026-27 interim budget tabled by finance minister Thangam Thennarasu, PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss criticised the DMK govt, accusing it of borrowing Rs 1.84 lakh crore in 2025-26, pushing the state into a “debt trap” with a Rs 1.27 lakh per head burden.

In a statement on Tuesday, Anbumani said that despite the own tax revenue of Rs 2.06 lakh crore (90% of total receipts via loans), capital expenditure was only Rs 51,443 crore (8% short of the Rs 57,231 crore target). After repaying Rs 55,844 crore in prior debts with new borrowings, Rs 77,223 crore remains unaccounted for, he said.


He said the revenue deficit ballooned 66% to Rs 69,219 crore (vs budgeted Rs 41,635 crore), despite DMK promises to erase the deficit. The total receipts shrank by 6.6% to Rs 3.09 lakh crore amid 6.5% tax revenue shortfall. Over the last five years, DMK's Rs 4.96 lakh crore debt exceeded 70 years' pre-2021 accumulation (Rs 4.56 lakh crore) by 109%, Anbumani said.




Anbumani warned that the state would become bankrupt if DMK continued to run the govt. He claimed that the voters would oust DMK in the upcoming polls to avert pledging Tamil Nadu to banks.

In another statement, Anbumani urged the govt not to cancel the recruitment of 2,708 assistant professors for govt arts and science colleges, warning it would shatter 13 years of youth aspirations after the Dec 27, 2025, competitive exam results remain unpublished.

Anbumani said the Teachers Recruitment Board (TRB) notified the process on Oct 16, 2025, accepting applications until Nov 10. The provisional answer keys were issued on Jan 5, 2026, inviting objections by Jan 13. Unlike usual one-week post-objection results, the board has not declared the results even after a month. The impending 2026 polls fuel fears of cancellation due to a fiscal crunch.

Anbumani alleged that the DMK govt claimed that there were no funds for salaries, but disburses Rs 6,550 crore as women's aid advances.