Tamilisai Soundararajan said the DMK government feared that the BJP protest will expose its corruption and hence used the police to detain the leaders and workers.
Published Mar 17, 2025 | 1:24 PM ⚊ Updated Mar 17, 2025 | 1:24 PM
Tamilisai Soundararajan being detained from her residence in Chennai on Monday. (X)
Synopsis: The BJP leaders were detained from their residences on Monday even as the party was planning a protest against the ₹1,000-crore scam in front of the TASMAC headquarters in Chennai.
The Tamil Nadu police swooped down on the residences of several BJP leaders and workers on Monday, 17 March, and detained them ahead of a planned protest against an alleged multi-crore TASMAC scam.
State president K Annamalai and party leader and former governor of Telangana Tamilisai Soundararajan were among those detained.
Annamalai was detained from his residence at Neelankari in Chennai ahead of the party’s protest in front of the TASMAC headquarters.
BJP functionaries from across Tamil Nadu were also detained and were being held at community halls.
While being detained, Soundararajan said, “They are arresting from my residence. I won’t go separately. I want everyone to come with me”.
Earlier, Soundararajan said everyone had the right to protest over any issue. She said the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had revealed that the irregularities in TASMAC amounted to ₹1,000 crore.
Soundararajan said the party leaders and workers were being arrested “even before they they moved to the agitation site” since the government feared that its corruption would be exposed.
“They cannot prevent us from being with the people and exposing their corruption,” she said on X.
“As a political party we have every right to raise our voice against corruption. By this atrocious activity they cannot crush our voice,” she added.
Several others party leaders and workers were also detained on Monday.
BJP state president K Annamalai condemned the arrests but said the party would continue the agitation.
“The autocratic DMK government thinks that by using the state police department it has curtailed our protest against the 1000 Crore rupees Liquor Scam by arresting our leaders, functionaries & cadres of @BJP4TamilNadu,” he said on X.
The people of TN know that the accussed number 1 in the TASMAC Liquor scam is TN CM Thiru
@mkstalin.
We will continue to protest against this corrupt, tyrannical DMK Govt.
How long will you keep arresting us,” he asked.
The autocratic DMK Govt thinks that by using the State Police dept, it has curtailed our protest against the 1000 Crore Rupees Liquor Scam by arresting our leaders, functionaries & cadres of @BJP4TamilNadu.
People of TN know that the acussed number 1 in the TASMAC Liquor scam… pic.twitter.com/42vcZZsKwS
— K.Annamalai (@annamalai_k) March 17, 2025
The ED said it had unearthed a ₹1,000 crore corruption scam involving the state-run liquor retailer TASMAC, following raids across multiple districts in the state on 6 March.
The raids were conducted under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, and resulted in the seizure of incriminating documents linked to bribery, tender manipulation, and illicit financial transactions, the agency said.
In response to the allegations, Electricity, Prohibition, and Excise Minister V Senthil Balaji said the ED’s charges had no basis and that was a generalised allegation. He further stated that “legal action will be taken in the matter”.
The ED alleged that large-scale financial and administrative irregularities were found within TASMAC operations, including:
The agency also said its investigation pointed to irregularities in the awarding of tenders:
Furthermore, the ED alleged that distilleries – including SNJ, Kals, Accord, SAIFL, and Shiva Distillery – engaged in financial misconduct by inflating expenses and fabricating purchases to generate over ₹1,000 crore in unaccounted cash.
Bottling firms such as Devi Bottles, Crystal Bottles, and GLR Holding allegedly manipulated sales figures to facilitate excess payments, which were later withdrawn as cash and returned after deducting commissions.
The agency claims this system was used to conceal illicit profits through fraudulent financial records and hidden cash flows.
The alleged scam triggered political protests during the state budget session on Friday, 14 March.
MLAs from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) staged a walkout, accusing the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) government of large-scale corruption.
BJP Tamil Nadu president K Annamalai criticised the state government and announced a gherao protest at the TASMAC headquarters in Chennai on 17 March, demanding action against those involved.
Following the arrest of Balaji on 14 June 2023, South First had mentioned in one of its reports the “Karur gang” — comprising Balaji’s henchmen and others close to him.
TASMAC sources had said the “Karur gang”— so named as most members hailed from Karur district, where Balaji was born at Rameswarampatti village — actively collected “protection money” from liquor outlets that, in turn, charged the customers an extra ₹10 for each bottle purchased.
A TASMAC union leader, requesting anonymity, earlier told South First that the unions had repeatedly apprised managing director L Subramanian of the atrocities committed by the “Karur gang”.
“He would listen to our grievances patiently. But no action was initiated. The ‘Karur gang’ influenced the managing director’s office,” he said.
ED sources, meanwhile, said Subramanian was aware of the money collection and misappropriation of TASMAC funds by the “Karur gang.”
“We got a few crucial pieces of information and documents supporting the collection of money. The IAS officer was amenable to the minister and his aides’ deeds,” the source said.
