Chennai, Aug. 21 -- A heated debate erupted in the Tamil Nadu Assembly on Friday after the opposition DMK officially rejected Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay's offer of free official vehicles for all 234 MLAs, citing the state's mounting debt.

Leader of Opposition (LoP) Udhayanidhi Stalin announced that all 59 DMK legislators have decided not to avail the offer. He challenged the TVK-led government's consistency, pointing out that the administration has frequently highlighted the state's financial distress since taking office.

"Since the TVK government has been saying from day one after assuming power that the government is in debt, all 59 DMK MLAs have decided not to avail this offer. We urge the government to provide free cars to MLAs o...