Stop government’s bid to alter highways for liquor shops, PMK urges Opposition

Barely a week ago, Dr Anbumani Ramadoss, one of the bitterest critics of the DMK, had reiterated that the two Dravidian parties have created a generation of drunkards in the state by promoting TASMAC sales. 

Meanwhile, in his open letter to opposition party leaders, which was dispatched through his advocate wing leader K Balu, Ramadoss appealed to the Opposition to unite and stop the ruling AIADMK. 

Speaking to DTNext after his rendezvous with Stalin, Balu said that there was no politics in the meeting and it was a sincere attempt to rally the opposition against the ruling party’s backdoor manoeuvre on the TASMAC issue. When his attention as drawn to Dr Anbumani Ramadoss’ most recent broadside against DMK, Balu said, “If the roads are allowed to be reclassified, an additional 2,000 TASMAC liquor shops will remain open in Tamil Nadu. Our criticism of the parties remains, but our priority now is to somehow prevent the AIADMK government from keeping the liquor shops open.”

“Stalin has responded (to us) by issuing a statement. Whenever our leader has sought to reduce the business hours of TASMAC outlets in the past, the DMK had responded in the affirmative. They (DMK) had also promised prohibition in the last election manifesto,” Balu remarked while recalling Ramadoss senior’s rare visit to Fort St George in 2008 when the then chief minister M Karunanidhi obliged him and reduced the business hour of TASMAC shops. However, a cautious Balu quickly added that he had also met O Panneerselvam of AIADMK (PTA) and DMDK leader L K Sudeesh, TMC leader G K Vasan and CPI state secretary Mutharasan in this regard.

DMK sources close to Stalin said the agenda of the meeting was confined to TASMAC issue and the Leader of Opposition was not keen on discussing more. Whether the meeting has a political undertone or not, correspondence between the squabbling political opponents has left a few tongues wagging in the state.