AIADMK MP and former minister C Ve Shanmugam has filed a contempt petition in the Madras High Court against the Tamil Nadu Health Secretary and the Public Department Secretary, alleging violation of a court order by continuing to use Chief Minister MK Stalin's name in a new government health outreach programme.
In the run-up to the 2026 assembly elections, the state government recently launched the "Nalam Kaakkum Stalin" (Wellness Ensuring Stalin) initiative, despite a High Court interim order last week barring the use of names of living political personalities in government schemes. The order also prohibited the use of photographs of former Chief Ministers or ideological leaders in publicity material. The court, however, allowed the use of the incumbent Chief Minister's photograph, citing a Supreme Court ruling.
The DMK government had earlier named two flagship schemes -Ungaludan Stalin (Stalin With You) and Nalam Kaakkum Stalin - after the Chief Minister, featuring visuals of both MK Stalin and late DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi in outreach campaigns.
These schemes are part of a broader public service drive with elections just eight months away.
Today, the Madras High Court adjourned the hearing on the state's plea to continue using the existing scheme names to August 7, after the Tamil Nadu government moved the Supreme Court challenging the interim order. The top court is expected to hear the case on August 6.
In its plea before the High Court, the state argued that the Chief Minister is a constitutional functionary, not merely a political personality, and that the Supreme Court did not explicitly ban the use of former Chief Ministers' photographs.
DMK sources point out that during J Jayalalithaa's government, the AIADMK had named schemes after "Amma", the name she was fondly called by her cadre.
After her death, her picture, they say, was part of AIADMK's publicity material. The BJP at the centre too has a programme named NaMo, an acronym for Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The contempt plea and the state's challenge are now poised for crucial hearings next week, potentially setting a precedent for the naming and promotion of government schemes in Tamil Nadu.
