TASMAC protest: Annamalai released from detention, calls police behaviour "downright shameful"

Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], March 17 (ANI): After his release from detention over protest against the alleged irregularities in Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation Limited (TASMAC), Tamil Nadu BJP Chief K Annamalai alleged that some police personnel have become "stooges" of the DMK whose behaviour is "downright shameful."
The Tamil Nadu Police on Monday detained several BJP leaders including Annamalai and Tamilisai Soundararajan over their protest against TASMAC.
Speaking to media, Annamalai said, "Some of the officers have become stooges of DMK. Instead of a Police uniform, they can wear a DMK dress and the DGP and Commissioner can do politics here. They want to please the Chief Minister from morning till evening. They have arrested many people. After 6 pm, you cannot keep females in detention, they kept them till 7 pm. We have to fight and come out because the Police's idea is how can anybody protest against DMK. I have a lot of respect for police but the behaviour of top police leadership is downright shameful."
He further claimed that the TASMAC is a burning issue which has persisted for three and a half years after DMK came to power.
"Chief Minister MK Stalin reserved the seat for Senthil Balaji till he was arrested and came out of jail. CM Stalin was the first person who went there, sacrificing the norms of how the CM should conduct himself. He directly intervened in the ED's investigation. With this, we are very clear that the actual accused in this case is MK Stalin. DMK's election in 2024 Lok Sabha was completely fought on alcohol money and they are using TASMAC for 2026 Assembly elections," Annamalai alleged further.
The State BJP Chief further mentioned their forthwith protests which will be "unannounced."
"In the next step, our Mahila Morcha workers will paste Stalin's pictures in each TASMAC shop. In April's first week, we will do a protest of downing the shutters of TASMAC shops. Both these protests will be done unannounced," Annamalai said.
Tamilisai Soundararajan, who was also among the detained workers, said that the police released them after they agitated.
"They are releasing after we agitated, after a female leader fainted. They kept us in detention after 6 pm. They are not respecting the law but I am. As a doctor, I should have accompanied her to the hospital, but I sent her off to the hospital and I came back inside, respecting the law. I cannot sacrifice a woman karyakarta because of their atrocities. We quietly followed all that they said till 6:20 pm. Should women be treated like this? This treatment is atrocious. They want to kill our confidence so that we don't come for another agitation, but they can never do that. We will bounce back and fight against all corruption cases. We will continue our agitation," Tamilisai told ANI.
The protest was organised at Chennai TASMAC headquarters. However, the police detained Soundararajan from her residence while placing other BJP leaders in the state including Vinoj P Selvam under house arrest.
On March 14, K Annamalai launched a scathing attack against state minister V Senthil Balaji, labelling him as the "kingpin" who remains involved in "every single scam."
Standing firm on his sources, Annamalai claimed that the TASMAC scam was over a thousand crore rupees while questioning the moral right of DMK leader Balaji to continue in his post as the minister.
"I have my sources. I believe (the corruption) is over a thousand crore (rupees). Senthil Balaji is involved in every single scam. He is the kingpin. Supreme Court has questioned if he has the moral right to stay a Minister," Annamalai told reporters.
Labelling Balaji as the "liquor minister", the BJP leader said that Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin restored Balaji as the minister as soon as he was released from jail. The TASMAC scam is bigger than the Delhi liquor scam, Annamalai asserted.
However, Tamil Nadu Minister V Senthil Balaji denied the charges of a scam in TASMAC and stated that the state government would face this legally.
"ED have alleged Rs 1000 crore corruption without any basis. Before ED one person made an accusation Rs 1000 crores scam then ED also says same in their statement. People are aware that there are thousands of meanings behind this. Government will face the ED searches on TASMAC legally," the Minister said.
The Minister claimed that everything was transparent as far as TASMAC is concerned. (ANI)