Chennai: Satta Panchayat Iyakkam (SPI) office bearers and their supporters, who have been on a fast for the past seven days demanding total prohibition and closure of Tasmac in Tamil Nadu, were arrested after they staged a protest march from their office in T. Nagar towards Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa's Poes Garden residence.
SPI's Senthil Arumugam, Annadurai, Jai Ganesh and other office bearers were arrested on Sunday afternoon and lodged in a community hall in T. Nagar. Around 50-odd protesters covered their faces with black cloth and shouted slogans to ‘Close Midas’, (referring to Midas Golden Distilleries Private Ltd,) during the march.
Earlier addressing the press, Senthil Arumugam said that they were fasting since August 24 demanding an announcement in the Assembly on enforcement of prohibition in the state. “In the three days when the Assembly met there was no announcement from the government on prohibition. The Opposition parties were also not allowed to raise the issue,” he said.
To take forward the anti-liquor campaign, he said SPI had decided to stage a protest by emptying Midas liquor bottles at Poes Garden.
“For the last five years Rs 11,400 crore worth of purchases was done by Tasmac from Midas Distilleries as per RTI data,” he told reporters here.
On the future plan of action Arumugam said that the protests would continue all over Tamil Nadu.
Claiming that a majority of the public was in favour of prohibition, he cited a survey conducted by them in nine districts among 531 people, in which 389 were in favour of closing the Tasmac shops immediately. He added that 134 persons wanted prohibition to be implemented in a phased manner while eight alone opposed it.
To another query on whether they would vote for a party which promises closure of Tasmac, he said an overwhelming majority would favour a party that assures implementation of prohibition.
