Tamil Nadu BJP chief Annamalai and former Governor Tamilisai detained ahead of protest against TASMAC corruption

Chennai Police clash with BJP supporters over alleged liquor scam in Tamil Nadu

Chennai Police clashed with BJP supporters today during a protest against an alleged liquor scam in Tamil Nadu. This latest incident intensifies the ongoing friction between the state BJP unit and the ruling DMK government, amid a broader political debate over “Hindi imposition.”

BJP leaders detained during protest

Videos captured BJP leaders Tamilisai Soundararajan and K Annamalai being forcibly taken away in police vans to prevent them from leading a demonstration toward the headquarters of the Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (TASMAC), the state-run liquor sales agency.

Chennai Police, which reports to Chief Minister M K Stalin‘s government, stated that the BJP had not received permission for the protest. However, the party claimed that its senior leaders were arrested ahead of their planned blockade.

Former Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan said she was detained from her residence. Speaking from inside a police vehicle, she asserted that she did not want to leave without her party workers.

BJP state chief K Annamalai alleged that the DMK government acted out of fear of the protest. He criticized the state authorities, saying:

“You have been using lower-level officials for your own work. Is it because we announced this protest in advance that you are engaging in such cowardly actions? What will you do if we hold a sudden protest without announcing a date?”

Images shared by BJP supporters suggest that detained leaders were taken to a temporary holding venue.

ED Raids and allegations of Rs.1,000 crore scam

The protest follows Enforcement Directorate (ED) raids on corporate offices of distilleries involved with TASMAC. The ED claims that a Rs.1,000 crore scam has occurred within the state-run liquor agency.

According to the ED, their raids uncovered incriminating evidence related to bar license tenders and orders favoring certain distillers. Investigators alleged that some distillers:

• Systematically inflated expenses
• Fabricated bogus purchases
• Siphoned off approximately Rs.1,000 crore

The premises of “key associates” of Excise Minister Senthil Balaji were also raided. However, Mr. Balaji dismissed the allegations, claiming that the ED’s actions were politically motivated due to the ongoing DMK-BJP conflict over Hindi imposition and delimitation.

“The ED has provided no details of FIRs on which it acted. There is no corruption in the transfer or transportation of cash. The alleged irregularities are by bottling firms outside TASMAC. The Tamil Nadu government has no role in this,” said Mr. Balaji in a press conference.

Opposition and political reactions

AIADMK leader Edappadi Palaniswami also criticized the DMK government, alleging that the scam could be as large as Rs.40,000 crore.

The BJP had previously announced a picketing protest at the TASMAC headquarters in Chennai to highlight the alleged irregularities.

Annamalai, dressed in a black shirt, was detained along with his supporters near his house. On social media, he claimed that senior party leaders, including Tamilisai Soundararajan, had been placed under house arrest.

Other detained BJP leaders include:

• Mahila Morcha Chief & Coimbatore South MLA Vanathi Srinivasan
• Vinoj P Selvam
• Amar Prasad Reddy

Annamalai reiterated the party’s stance, stating that irregularities worth Rs.1,000 crore have been found in TASMAC, and BJP will continue its protests.

ED’s investigation findings

The Enforcement Directorate has reported multiple irregularities in TASMAC’s operations, including:

• Manipulations in the tender process
• Unaccounted cash transactions worth Rs.1,000 crore
• Kickbacks involving distillery companies

The ED claimed that these findings emerged from raids on March 6, which targeted corporate offices, distilleries, and TASMAC employees.

As tensions escalate between BJP and DMK, the political landscape in Tamil Nadu remains charged, with allegations of corruption and retaliatory actions fueling the conflict further.

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