TN govt drops 'Vidiyal' from women bus scheme, DMK says 'You can't change history’

Chennai: The Tamil Nadu government has renamed the state's flagship free bus travel scheme for women, removing the word 'Vidiyal' from its title, triggering sharp criticism from the opposition DMK.

The scheme, earlier known as 'Magalir Vidiyal Payanam', will now be called 'Magalir Payanam'. While the benefits under the programme remain unchanged, the revised name has begun appearing on the digital destination boards of buses operated by the Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) and the Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC).

The word 'Vidiyal', which means 'dawn' in Tamil, was closely associated with the DMK's 2021 Assembly election campaign and became one of the party's key political slogans.

The renaming by the ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) government, led by Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay, reportedly took place without any formal announcement.

Images and videos showing the updated bus displays quickly spread across social media, drawing attention to the change.

Reacting strongly, DMK leader Thangam Thennarasu accused the government of attempting to erase the party's political identity.

'You can change the name but not history,' he said, adding that the move was not aimed at public welfare but at removing the DMK's political imprint from a scheme that has significantly benefited women.

He further argued that the success of a welfare programme should be measured by its impact on people's lives rather than its name, and urged the government to focus on launching new initiatives and improving public services instead of renaming existing schemes.