A viral post circulating on social media platform X claims that under the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) rule, for the very first time, the free school bags provided to students feature the Thirukkural instead of the Chief Minister's photograph . Users are sharing this news to suggest that this is a brand-new initiative introduced by the current administration.
WHAT IS THE TRUTH?
We checked the claim and found that it is completely false. The design featuring the Thirukkural on government-issued school bags is not a new practice introduced under the TVK rule.
We reviewed past news reports to check when this design was actually introduced. We found an article published by Dinamani on September 10, 2023. The news report clearly shows that during the previous DMK rule in 2023, the state government had already distributed free school bags with the Thirukkural and its explanation explicitly printed on them.
As documented in the Madras High Court heavily criticized the practice of printing public functionaries' or Chief Ministers' photos on school bags and stationery back in September 2021. The High Court openly appreciated the previous DMK government's decision to distribute existing inventory featuring former Chief Ministers rather than wasting public funds to reprint bags with the new leader's face, directing the state to ensure public funds are not expended for the publicity of political leaders.
This proves that the practice of printing the Thirukkural on school bags was already established in 2023. People are spreading false rumors by claiming it is a first-time achievement of the TVK government.
CONCLUSION
The viral news claiming that the TVK government is the first to feature the Thirukkural on free school bags without the Chief Minister's photograph is completely false. News reports from 2023 prove that the previous DMK government already distributed free school bags with the exact same design, explicitly featuring the Thirukkural and its explanation.