Chennai: BJP Tamil Nadu president K Annamalai, the party’s women’s wing national chief Vanathi Srinivasan and senior state leader H Raja were among the party leaders who were detained here Monday by the police ahead of their protest against the alleged irregularities in state-run liquor retailer TASMAC.
The saffron party had announced a picketing protest of the TASMAC headquarters here over the alleged Rs 1,000 crore irregularities, as claimed by the Enforcement Directorate recently.
The BJP found support from the most unexpected corner, with its strident critic and DMK ally VCK welcoming the protest, from the prohibition point of view.
Annamalai lashed out at the ruling DMK and its party president and Chief Minister M K Stalin, alleging the “rupee symbol and budget drama” were an attempt to divert attention from the recent ED raids at the Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (TASMAC), besides other entities.
Annamalai, clad in a black shirt, was detained near his house along with his supporters by the police.
In a social media post, the BJP state chief alleged senior party leaders including former state president and ex-Governor of Telangana, Tamilisai Soundararajan have been placed “under house arrest” by the police.
Senior BJP leaders including H Raja, Pon Radhakrishnan, BJP Mahila Morcha chief and Coimbatore South MLA Vanathi Srinivasan, the party’s legislators C Saraswathi, MR Gandhi, Nainar Nagenthran and functionaries including Vinoj P Selvam and Amar Prasad Reddy were detained.
Annamalai said there have been “irregularities of Rs 1000 crore,” in the Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (TASMAC) and asserted the party will continue to protest on the matter.
Lashing out at CM Stalin, Annamalai said it was his ‘guess’ that the DMK leader was ‘afraid’ of something and therefore was ‘strangulating’ BJP’s voice.
“I charge that their symbol drama, budget drama was all aimed at diverting attention from ED raids,” he said about the DMK government replacing the Indian rupee symbol with the Tamil word ‘Ru,’ as the budget logo recently.
Annamalai told reporters that although the ED has quantified the alleged irregularities in TASMAC at Rs 1,000 crore, he estimates it to be “Rs 40,000 crore.”
“This Rs 1000 crore is tip of the iceberg…this protest will not only shake up TN politics but will pave the way for ushering in good politics. My guess is this (scam) will be worth Rs 40,000 crore. But I am in a responsible position, so I am quoting the Rs 1,000 crore mentioned by the ED,” he said.
He said when ED files its “final report,” Stalin might also be on the radar.
To a question on the ED earlier targeting AAP supremo and former Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal and Telangana BRS leader K Kavitha in the now scrapped Delhi Excise policy ‘scam,’ he said the central agency was only acting against irregularities.
The ED had earlier said it has found “multiple irregularities” in the operations of TASMAC, including “manipulation” in the tender processes and “unaccounted” cash transactions worth Rs 1,000 crore through distillery companies.
The federal agency had claimed it got ‘evidence’ suggesting these corrupt practices after it raided the employees, corporate offices of distilleries and plants of TASMAC March 6.
There were ‘kickbacks’ involved, it had claimed.
Meanwhile, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) founder and Lok Sabha MP, Thol Thirumavalavan, extended his party’s support to the BJP’s agitation.
A staunch critic of the BJP, the DMK ally however said his party’s stand was that there should be no liquor in the state and that all shops should be closed down, indicating at prohibition.
“May be the police action (against BJP leaders) was from the law and order point of view. We welcome the protest…our stand is that liquor shops in Tamil Nadu should be closed down and we will welcome anyone who supports that,” he told reporters.
However, he wondered whether BJP-ruled states had implemented prohibition.
Meanwhile, Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) president Dr Anbumani Ramadoss criticised the police action.
In a social media post, he wondered why the BJP leaders were held even before staging the protest.
PTI