Tamil Nadu BJP K Annamalai and Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin (File Image) NEW DELHI: A political slugfest erupted in Tamil Nadu after the Enforcement Directorate claimed to have “evidence” suggesting corrupt practices within TASMAC, following the agency’s raids on its employees, corporate offices of distilleries, and plants.While the DMK government categorically refuted the allegations, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday organized a protest at the Chennai TASMAC headquarters amid heavy security deployment.Opposition courts arrestSeveral opposition leaders, including state president K. Annamalai and former governor Tamilisai Soundararajan, were detained by Chennai police in connection with the alleged TASMAC scam.Annamalai was stopped, and after negotiations, he was detained and evacuated from the spot in a police vehicle. Soundararajan, who stepped out of her house to attend the gherao at the TASMAC office in Egmore, was prevented from leaving by a police team, led by Deputy Commissioner of Police Snehapriya. The team had been waiting outside her house from 7 a.m. and escorted her to the police vehicle.”We, on behalf of Tamil Nadu BJP, had announced a protest today at the Chennai TASMAC headquarters to protest the DMK government’s Rs 1,000 crore TASMAC scam. The DMK government, trembling with fear, has placed senior BJP leader and former Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan under house arrest,” Annamalai posted on X.Meanwhile, BJP state deputy president Karu Nagarajan was arrested in front of his house. The city police were stationed in front of the residences of BJP state office-bearers and district office-bearers from 7 a.m. onwards, blocking their houses. Police arrested the BJP workers and office-bearers as soon as they stepped out to attend the BJP’s protest.The arrested BJP workers and leaders were detained at a marriage hall and community hall in the city.DMK refutes allegationsTamil Nadu excise minister Senthil Balaji, however, denied allegations of Rs 1,000 crore corruption, stating there was no basis for the claim and no room for malpractices in the TASMAC tender process.”In the name of searches, the ED has conducted raids but has not mentioned the year the FIR was registered. They have created a scene as if mistakes have happened in TASMAC recruitment,” Balaji said.”For the past four years, the bartender recruitment process has been online. Without any basis, they have accused us of Rs 1,000 crore in corruption. There is no room for malpractices in the TASMAC tender,” he added.What is the TASMAC scam?On March 13, the central probing agency conducted several search operations at various premises across many districts of Tamil Nadu under the provisions of the PMLA, 2002, for various offenses related to Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation Limited (TASMAC).In a post on X, the ED said, “ED, Chennai has conducted search operations at various premises across many districts of Tamil Nadu on 06.03.2025 under the provisions of PMLA, 2002, for various offenses related to Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation Limited (TASMAC) and its associated entities/persons.””During the search operations, various incriminating documents were recovered and seized,” it added.The central agency revealed that multiple irregularities were detected in TASMAC’s operations, including tender manipulation and unaccounted cash transactions worth Rs 1,000 crore through distillery companies.The ED stated that its investigation provided concrete evidence of corrupt practices within TASMAC, confirming that kickbacks were involved in liquor dealings in Tamil Nadu.
‘1000 cr scam’: BJP protests alleged corruption within TASMAC; Tamil Nadu govt arrests Annamalai, others | India News
