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TN BJP Chief Annamalai Fact Checks Tamil Nadu Fact Check Unit’s Defense Of DMK School Infrastructure Spendings

By
The Commune
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The Tamil Nadu government’s official Fact Check Unit, led by Dravidianist Simper Iyan Karthikeyan, whose role has often involved buttressing the ruling DMK party, has once again been fact-checked by Tamil Nadu BJP chief K. Annamalai. This comes after the Fact Check Unit backing the DMK refuted Annamalai’s claims regarding the poor state of government schools in the state, particularly in light of several incidents where school building ceilings gave off, injuring students. Annamalai accused the government of failing to allocate funds for infrastructure improvements and showing a lack of concern for the issue.

On 20 March 2025, Annamalai via his official X account stated, “The roof of a government school in Sengottai, Tenkasi district, collapsed, causing an accident. Many school buildings in Tamil Nadu are on the verge of collapse. Today in the Assembly, the School Education Minister has announced that funds worth ₹7,500 crore have been allocated for the construction and upgrading of buildings under the Perasiriyar Anbazhaganar School Development Scheme. Last year, in the budget, they said that work worth ₹2,497 crore is being carried out under this scheme. This year too, they have announced that ₹1,000 crore has been allocated. However, in the grant request, Anbazhaganar’s name is not there. It seems that the construction of school buildings was carried out with the loan assistance received from NABARD Bank under the Rural Infrastructure Development Fund. Compared to last year, less funds have been allocated this year. In the last year 2023-2024, under the Rural Development and Panchayat raj Department, they allocated ₹560 crore to improve the infrastructure of Panchayat Union Primary and Middle Schools, but it is clear from the grant request that not a single rupee was spent. But, yesterday in the Legislative Assembly, Minister Periyasamy said that 6,000 school buildings have been built in Tamil Nadu under the DMK government. We have seen classes being conducted under shades of trees without a building in the own district of the Minister of School Education. It has become the habit of the DMK government to announce the names of projects worth several crores in the budget for publicity, but not to allocate any funds for those projects in the grant request. The DMK government should publish a white paper detailing how many classrooms have been built in each district so far, particularly how many under the Perasiriyar Anbazhagan School Development Scheme, since the DMK came to power. The practice of announcing nominal projects and creating drama without allocating funds can no longer be accepted.”

In an effort to shield the ruling DMK from the accusations, the DMK government’s Fact Check Unit swiftly intervened, conveniently ignoring the key allegations made by BJP chief Annamalai. The Unit referenced the budget document published by the government, while Annamalai had specifically accused the DMK government of making a habit of announcing high-value projects in the budget for publicity, but failing to allocate any funds for those projects in the grant request (both are different documents).

Through its official X account, the TN Fact Check Unit stated, “School Education: Annamalai lies again!

  • Lie 1: Annamalai stated, “Last year’s budget mentioned that work was being done under the Perasiriyar Anbazhagan School Development Scheme at a cost of ₹2,497 crore, but this year’s budget allocated only ₹1,000 crore, and the name of Anbazhagan is not even mentioned in the grant request.”
    • Fact: The grant request for the 2025-26 financial statement has not been initiated yet. 
    • In the grant request of the School Education Department for 2024-25, it is stated that the Anbazhagan School Development Scheme has been allocated ₹1,887.75 crore for improving infrastructure facilities in Panchayat Union primary and middle schools, government high and higher secondary schools in the years 2022-23 and 2023-24, and Rs 316 crore for repair and maintenance work in government high and higher secondary schools, and work is underway. It has been reported that steps are being taken to improve infrastructure facilities at an estimated cost of ₹1000 crore in the 2024-25 academic year.
  • Lie 2: Annamalai stated, “It is clear from the grant request that ₹560 crore was allocated for improving the infrastructure of Panchayat Union Primary and Middle Schools under the Rural Development and Panchayat Department in the last year 2023-2024 and not a single rupee was spent.” 
    • Fact: ₹429.67 crore has been used to improve the infrastructure of Panchayat Union Primary and Middle Schools. But he has spread the lie that not a single rupee was spent.”

In response to the weak defense, TN BJP chief Annamalai not only exposed and fact-checked the Tamil Nadu Fact Checking Unit but also ridiculed it stating, “Whenever @BJP4Tamilnadu questions the DMK government and ministers, the @tn_factcheck employee has a habit of come running without any relevance. Every time, he is accompanied by an explanation, and the DMK government and ministers hiding behind him has become a habit. Every day, news is emerging about the dilapidated condition of school buildings across Tamil Nadu, with roofs collapsing in many schools and classes being held under trees without proper classrooms. In such a situation, Ministers in the assembly claim that they have constructed school buildings at a cost of several thousand crores. We have asked them to publish a white paper detailing where these schools have been built. This time as well, the @tn_factcheck employee has come running. If the grant request for the year 2025-26 has not been initiated yet, what is in this link https://financedept.tn.gov.in/en/my-documents/2020/07/DemandBook_43-1.pdf? It is customary for all the announced projects to be listed in the grant request schedule, mentioning their names. It is said that ₹1,887.75 crore was spent in the years 2022-23 and 2023-24. However, the funds spent on capital infrastructure in the year 2023-24 were only ₹352 crore. Under which scheme, ₹1,887.75 crore was spent? Some work has been carried out through the Rural Infrastructure Development Fund received from NABARD, why is the expenditure you claim not at all in line with the grant request? The fact that ₹ 560 crore was allocated under the Rural Development and Panchayat Department in the last year 2023-24, and not a single rupee was spent, is in the grant request issued by the DMK government. But under which scheme is the ₹429.67 crore that you claim to have spent accounted for? If you have correct data on financial allocation and expenditure, why are you so hesitant to publish a white paper stating in which districts and how many school buildings have been constructed? Why should you try to deal with it by telling lies again and again?”

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