The BJP has targeted the Tamil Nadu government over its newly announced Annapoorani Super Six LPG assistance programme, alleging that the scheme falls short of the promise made by Vijay's Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam during the Assembly election campaign.

BJP spokesperson Narayanan Thirupathy said the government's original commitment was to provide six free cooking gas cylinders every year to all households. The scheme announced on Monday, however, offers financial assistance equivalent to the cost of only three cylinders annually and is limited to families earning less than Rs 2.5 lakh a year.

Questioning the change, Thirupathy accused the government of reducing both the scale of the benefit and the number of households eligible to receive it.

He said the election manifesto had promised six free LPG cylinders a year without the restrictions that now form part of the announced programme. The BJP leader argued that the government should honour the commitment on the terms presented to voters during the campaign.

WHAT DOES THE ANNAPOORANI SUPER SIX SCHEME OFFER?

Chief Minister Joseph Vijay announced the Annapoorani Super Six scheme in the Tamil Nadu Assembly on Monday. Under the programme, eligible households will receive direct bank transfers covering the cost of three LPG cylinders each year.

The scheme is scheduled to begin from Pongal 2027 and is expected to cover about 1.30 crore families whose annual household income does not exceed Rs 2.5 lakh.

According to the state government's estimates, the programme will require an annual expenditure of around Rs 4,000 crore.

Vijay said the decision was aimed at easing the pressure of rising cooking gas costs on households. He linked the increase in LPG prices and supply concerns to the ongoing conflict in the Gulf region and said the government had decided to extend assistance despite its financial constraints.

GAP BETWEEN POLL PROMISE AND ANNOUNCED SCHEME

The political dispute centres on the difference between TVK's election manifesto and the final version of the welfare scheme announced by the government.

During the election campaign, Vijay's party had promised six free LPG cylinders every year for every household. The Annapoorani Super Six programme, by contrast, provides support for three refills annually and introduces an income eligibility criterion.

Thirupathy's criticism is based on this reduction, with the BJP arguing that the government has not delivered the full benefit voters were promised.

The announcement has now given the opposition an opportunity to question whether the Vijay government's welfare scheme represents a fulfilment of its election pledge or a scaled-down version of it.