'We will not back down': Annamalai detained before protest over alleged ₹1,000 crore TASMAC scam

Tamil Nadu BJP President K Annamalai and several party functionaries were detained on Monday as they attempted to protest against alleged ₹1,000 crore irregularities in state-run liquor retailer TASMAC. 

The BJP had planned to picket the TASMAC headquarters in Chennai, citing findings from the Enforcement Directorate (ED), which recently claimed to have uncovered multiple irregularities in the corporation’s operations.

Annamalai, wearing a black shirt, was detained near his residence along with his supporters. In a social media post, he alleged that senior BJP leaders, including Tamilisai Soundararajan, had been placed under house arrest. Among the detained BJP leaders were Mahila Morcha chief and Coimbatore South MLA Vanathi Srinivasan, Vinoj P Selvam, and Amar Prasad Reddy.

Speaking on the TASMAC issue, Annamalai doubled down on corruption allegations, stating, “There have been irregularities of ₹1,000 crore in TASMAC, and we will continue to protest.”

The ED’s March 6 raids on TASMAC employees, distillery corporate offices, and plants reportedly uncovered evidence of manipulation in tenders and unaccounted cash transactions worth ₹1,000 crore. The agency also claimed there were kickbacks involved in the process.

BJP functionary Amar Prasad Reddy slammed the DMK-led government, calling the detentions an “unlawful arrest by Dictator CM MK Stalin.”

“You looted Tamil Nadu, and now you want to silence BJP. We will not back down! We have been arrested along with Sr Leader Thiru @PonnaarrBJP anna. DMK Liquor Scam 😡 ₹1,000 Crores Corruption,” Reddy wrote on social media.