ED raids in Tamil Nadu: Alleged Rs 1000 crore liquor scam, BJP protests thwarted

India Today

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted raids in Tamil Nadu over an alleged liquor scam involving TASMAC. BJP planned protests, but leaders were detained.

Transcript

00:00Alright, news now coming in, Enforcement Directorate is conducting raids over alleged liquor gate

00:10in Tamil Nadu now.

00:12Remember, after Delhi, are we looking at a liquor scam in Tamil Nadu now?

00:17BJP is protesting and likely will do that in just a short while, that will begin.

00:22Cops have meanwhile in Tamil Nadu detained the BJP leaders and workers ahead of the protest.

00:27BJP protest rally has been blocked, leaders detained, 1000 crore rupees TASMAC scam has

00:34dropped.

00:35Tamil Nadu is what the allegation is, to which MK Stalin's party leaders say, this is just

00:40Vendetta politics of how Tamil Nadu has stood defiant against Hindi opposition.

00:46TASMAC, corruption, 1000 crores has been openly declared by the ED.

00:57Only ED has told, it's a TASMAC corruption, and the TASMAC minister is known for his corruption

01:06activities and has been jailed.

01:08The atrocity of the DMK government, the fearness of the DMK government about BJP, and to hide

01:15their corruption, they are surrounding us like that, we won't fear these type of custodies.

01:23Ahead of the BJP protest, that's what the BJP netas are saying, Pramod Madhav joins

01:27me for the latest on that, Pramod tell me also about the BJP protest that's expected

01:33and then how this ED raids are happening because this sounds very similar to how it turned

01:38into big trouble for Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia in Delhi, are we looking at similar

01:43situation for the Tamil Nadu leaders?

01:46Pooja, one of the interesting factors when it comes to Tamil Nadu is that in the state

01:53of Tamil Nadu, the actual liquor consumption for the public is being sold under a banner

01:57called as TASMAC which comes under the Tamil Nadu government and this is where the enforcement

02:01directorate went ahead and conducted raids at multiple offices that belongs to TASMAC

02:05and now the ED has also released a statement claiming that three FIRs have been filed,

02:10one about selling liquor over the price, the two about the actual TASMAC officials

02:17colluding with the distillery owners and such information has been procured by them and

02:22the ED believes that this actual allegation can go up to 1000 crores and this has been

02:27picked by the opposition in Tamil Nadu government and Annamalai, the BJP leader actually had

02:32a plan by 11am to hold a protest in front of Talamudu, Nadarajal building but already

02:38the BJP leaders have been either detained or placed under kind of house custody, for

02:43example, Vinosh P. Selvam was detained in the morning while Tamarishi Soundarajan, a

02:48large police group has been placed in front of her house, Pooja.

02:52Pramod, as we stay on with this big story, more and more visuals are coming in, remember

02:56that MK Stalin is defiant, he says all of this is Vendetta politics, ED is raiding for

03:02a liquor gate controversy, tell me more about this liquor controversy, Pramod, in the sense

03:07that the government of the state clearly has decided to deny and reject any of the

03:13charges but what is this controversy that has erupted in the first place?

03:22One basic controversy that actually surrounds TASCMARC for the consumer is that like at

03:26least a minimum of 10 rupees is extra purchased, I mean to sort from anybody who buys TASCMARC

03:31liquor from TASCMARC shops in Tamil Nadu, TASCMARC shops are in large number, in fact

03:36in 20, since 2016 there have been issues where the parties have said that liquor should

03:40be banned in the state of Tamil Nadu and even the minister who is actually responsible for

03:45TASCMARC, he comes under the department called as Department of Liquor Prohibition, so this

03:50is a very big issue in the state of Tamil Nadu and the first FAR by ED is on this issue

03:54and the second one is about distillery owners actually providing kickbacks to officials

03:59from TASCMARC and several distillery like company names have also been listed by the

04:05ED over here and this is why it's a very big issue and BJP has also taken it up, very

04:09big protest was planned for the day but it looks like several leaders across the state

04:13have already been detained even not allowing them to come to Chennai itself and that is

04:17why Annamalai has also put it on Twitter stating that he is opposing whatever DMK is doing

04:22right now, Pooja.

04:23Alright, Pramod stay on with me because more and more visuals that are coming in on this

04:28story, MK Stalin's ministers are currently going to be facing the axe, Pramod which minister

04:36are we looking at in the DMK government in Tamil Nadu who possibly could face arrest

04:42in this case?

04:44Pooja, like if we go ahead with what has happened in Delhi and Telangana, there is a quite big

04:51issue that like possibility that ED can actually go ahead and make multiple arrests on this

04:55matter but for now it looks like the first person who actually can get involved is the

05:00actual minister of the department which is Senthil Balaji who was already arrested earlier

05:04in a different case and right now once again this has come to light over here and this

05:09is why BJP claims that definite action should be taken, in fact even Vijay from TVK went

05:15ahead and he released a statement yesterday demanding an independent investigation on

05:19this matter also Pooja.

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