Chennai: Liquor, or rather the misuse of it, was partially to blame for the Aam Aadmi Party’s fall from grace in Delhi. Elections are due in Tamil Nadu in 2026 and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has claimed that a liquor scam in the state, linked to the Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation Ltd (TASMAC), could be worth over Rs 1,000 crore.
Though raids were carried out on March 6, ED revealed the details only on Thursday (March 13), a day before the placing of the state budget in the Tamil Nadu Assembly.
While the BJP has jumped to the occasion, demanding that the government in the state steps down, there has not been no official reaction from the DMK so far. Some leaders, however, maintained that this is nothing but political vendetta as Tamil Nadu chief minister M K Stalin has crossed swords with the Centre over the three-language scheme in education and the proposed delimitation process.
According to a release issued by the ED, multiple FIRs have already been registered. It mentions the recovery of incriminating data relating to tendering process from TASMAC offices. It has also been alleged that TASMAC outlets charged Rs 10-30 extra per bottle of liquor.
“Evidences reveal direct communication between distillery companies and higher TASMAC officials, exposing efforts to secure increased indent orders and undue favours…….Investigations reveal that distilleries systematically inflated expenses and fabricated bogus purchases, particularly through bottle-making companies, to siphon off over Rs 1,000 crore in unaccounted cash. These funds were then used for kickbacks to secure increased supply orders from TASMAC,” it has been stated.
Tamil Nadu is the largest consumer of liquor in the country. With only 6 per cent of the country’s population, the state accounts for 13% of the total consumption.
