The AIADMK, Tamil Nadu’s principal opposition party, led by party chief Edappadi K Palaniswami, organized a rally in protest against the DMK regime, accusing it of corruption and mishandling the recent hooch tragedy. The AIADMK submitted a memorandum to Governor RN Ravi, urging the involvement of central agencies in investigating allegations of corruption. Palaniswami emphasized that Chief Minister M K Stalin should resign from his position, taking moral responsibility for the deaths caused by the consumption of illicit liquor.
Palaniswami alleged that the government and police were aware of the trade in illicit and fake liquor, as demonstrated by the swift arrest of 1,600 individuals and the filing of 2,000 cases following the hooch tragedy. He demanded a probe into companies allegedly owned by the DMK first family and their growth in the past two years. Palaniswami also mentioned the purported audio clips revealing allegations of Rs 30,000 crore in the hands of influential individuals linked to the DMK. He urged the central agencies to investigate these matters and requested the governor’s assistance.
The memorandum submitted by the AIADMK to the governor highlighted large-scale corruption in the functioning of TASMAC bars, irregularities in tender processes for various projects, graft in the mining department, and violations in spending the funds of the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department. Palaniswami criticized the DMK regime’s governance model, claiming that corruption was rampant in several departments.
Furthermore, Palaniswami alleged that honest officers lacked protection under the DMK regime, citing incidents such as the recent murder of a Village Administrative Officer by sand smugglers. Regarding the hooch tragedy, he blamed the government for its failure to swiftly address the issue of illicit liquor. Palaniswami called for an autopsy at Puducherry JIPMER hospital to uncover the truth behind the deaths of two individuals who consumed fake liquor.
Palaniswami sarcastically remarked that under the DMK regime, corruption was widespread in several departments, and the AIADMK had provided proof of this in the memorandum submitted to the governor. He accused the government of deteriorating law and order and highlighted the alleged sale of fake liquor in TASMAC bars. Palaniswami claimed that out of the 6,340 TASMAC shops in the state, only 25 percent of the bars were properly licensed, while the rest operated illegally. He alleged that fake liquor sold in these illegal bars had resulted in deaths.
The AIADMK rally, led by Palaniswami and attended by a large number of party workers, caused traffic snarls for approximately three hours. Palaniswami, accompanied by senior AIADMK leaders, including Dindigul C Srinivasan, K P Munusamy, D Jayakumar, and SP Velumani, called on Governor Ravi to discuss their grievances.
