Chennai – Tamil Nadu BJP president K Annamalai was arrested by Chennai police on Monday morning, just hours before he was set to lead a protest against alleged financial irregularities in the state-run liquor retailer, Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (TASMAC).
Annamalai, who planned to demonstrate outside the TASMAC headquarters in Chennai’s Egmore, was detained near his residence in Akkarai as he attempted to leave for the venue. Several other senior BJP leaders, including former Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan, Mahila Morcha chief and Coimbatore South MLA Vanathi Srinivasan, and BJP MLA Saraswathi, were also taken into custody at different locations across the city.
The protest was organized in response to a recent investigation by the Directorate of Enforcement (ED), which uncovered an alleged Rs 1,000-crore corruption network involving state officials, liquor distilleries, and bottling companies. The ED’s probe revealed manipulation in tender processes, with contracts worth Rs 100 crore awarded to ineligible bidders. Major liquor manufacturers were found to have funneled unaccounted cash through bottling companies to bribe TASMAC officials for inflated supply orders.
As BJP workers gathered across Chennai, police were deployed in large numbers to prevent the protest. Soundararajan was intercepted at her home in Saligramam, while BJP members attempting to march from Rajarathinam Stadium toward the TASMAC headquarters were detained en masse.
Following his arrest, Annamalai criticized the ruling government, accusing it of stifling democratic dissent. “Is it because we announced the protest in advance that you are able to act in such a cowardly manner? What can you do if we launch a protest suddenly, without prior notice?” he remarked.
The ED’s investigation also uncovered bribery in staff transfers and instances of TASMAC shops allegedly overcharging customers by Rs 10 to Rs 30 per bottle. The probe suggested that distilleries systematically inflated costs, particularly through fake bottle-making contracts, creating a cycle of illicit cash flow used for bribery and illicit payments.
As the political battle over the TASMAC scandal intensifies, further action from both investigative agencies and opposition parties is expected.
