BJP alleges ₹1000-crore liquor scam in Tamil Nadu after ED raids

The BJP accused Tamil Nadu's CM MK Stalin of a ₹1,000-crore liquor scam via TASMAC, claiming ED raids revealed financial irregularities.

Updated on: Mar 14, 2025, 14:07:56 IST

By HT News Desk

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The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has accused the Tamil Nadu government, led by Chief Minister MK Stalin, of orchestrating a ₹1,000-crore liquor scam through the state-run Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (TASMAC). The BJP claimed that the ongoing Enforcement Directorate (ED) raids have exposed large-scale financial irregularities, while the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) has dismissed the allegations as baseless.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin addresses a gathering during a public meeting, in Tiruvallur district of Tamil Nadu. (Tamil Nadu CMO)

The BJP also accused Stalin of spreading baseless rumours about the three-language policy and other issues to divert attention from the scam.

The allegations surfaced on the same day the DMK government presented the Tamil Nadu Budget 2025-26 in the state Assembly. Finance Minister Thangam Thenarasu announced major allocations for various welfare schemes, including the fare-free bus travel scheme for women, job creation initiatives, and infrastructural developments. However, the budget session was disrupted by opposition parties, with the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) staging a walkout over the alleged scam.

Leader of Opposition Edappadi K Palaniswami demanded that the DMK government take moral responsibility for the alleged corruption and tender its resignation. The AIADMK, along with the BJP, has intensified its demand for an explanation from the state government regarding the ED’s findings.

BJP allegations

BJP leader Amit Malaviya took to social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to accuse CM Stalin of attempting to divert public attention from the ED raids by spreading rumors about the three-language policy and National Education Policy (NEP).

"Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin is spreading baseless rumors about the three-language policy, NEP, delimitation, and the removal of the ₹symbol from the budget document to distract the public from the ongoing Enforcement Directorate (ED) raids on TASMAC, the Liquor Minister, and liquor-supplying companies in Tamil Nadu," Malaviya posted on X.

Malaviya further claimed that the ED unearthed documents indicating unaccounted cash transactions amounting to ₹1,000 crore in the form of bribes paid by distilleries. He demanded that CM Stalin disclose who received these illegal payments.

Meanwhile, BJP MLA Vanathi Srinivasan wrote to the Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker, urging the state government to respond to the allegations under Rule 55. "ED's investigation into TASMAC has uncovered unaccounted cash transactions worth ₹1,000 crore, exposing manipulated tenders and massive financial irregularities," she posted on X.

DMK's response

Tamil Nadu Excise Minister Senthil Balaji dismissed the allegations, asserting that there was no room for malpractice in TASMAC operations.

"In the name of searches, the ED has conducted raids but has not specified the year the FIR was registered. They have created a scene as if mistakes have happened in TASMAC recruitment. For the past four years, the bar tender process has been conducted online. Without any basis, they have accused us of ₹1,000 crore of corruption. There is no room for malpractices in the TASMAC tender," Balaji stated.

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HT News Desk
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