Chief Minister Vijay is reportedly dissatisfied with the Tamil Nadu government’s recently released white paper on the state’s finances, saying it did not include information that should have been communicated to the public. Sources said he reprimanded the officials involved in preparing the document.
After the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam formed the government on May 10 following its Assembly election victory, Vijay had announced that a detailed white paper would be issued on the previous DMK government’s financial position. Finance Minister Maria Wilson released the white paper the day before yesterday.
However, the document did not include any details on alleged financial irregularities, triggering negative criticism against the government. Party sources said compiling a list of alleged mistakes from the DMK period was difficult because senior finance department officials from that time were said to have direct links with the DMK and needed to be replaced.
They added that newly appointed IAS officers lacked department-specific experience and were close to a former senior official, making preparation of the report challenging. Although the draft was shown to the Chief Minister and senior party leaders, the release event did not raise the points that had been discussed, including the emphasis that the state’s debt was ₹13 lakh crore and not ₹10 lakh crore.
Sources also said the event was undermined when an official stated that the debt level was under control, and the white paper did not provide figures on alleged inflated tenders, the extent of financial waste, or how much allocated funds were unspent or properly utilised. The government is now expected to incorporate the missing issues in the Chief Minister’s reply during the ongoing Assembly session.
