Foiling the protest of the BJP to highlight the alleged multi-crore liquor scam in the state-owned monopoly liquor retailer, TASMAC, unearthed by the Enforcement Directorate, the Chennai police on Monday arrested party state president K Annamalai and former Telangana governor Tamilisai Soundararajan, preventing them from proceeding to the protest venue at Egmore in the city.

The saffron party had called for a protest to lay siege to the TASMAC headquarters demanding a probe into the alleged financial irregularities to the tune of Rs 1,000 crore.

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Recently, the ED had carried out raids on TASMAC headquarters and on companies manufacturing and supplying IMFL to the state-owned retailer. TASMAC comes under V Senthil Balaji, the minister for Prohibition and Enforcement, who is on bail in a money laundering case in the cash-for-job scam.

With the police, who had denied permission for the protest, arresting the leaders and functionaries, the protest by the BJP fizzled out. Annamalai was arrested at Akkarai, close to his residence, when he proceeded to lead the protest. Tamilisai Soundararajan was taken into custody after stepping out of her residence in Virugambakkam.

Party legislators Vanathi Srinivasan, BJP Mahila Morcha national president, and Saraswathy, were taken in a police van and kept at a marriage hall along with others who had gathered at Egmore.

Reacting strongly to the police action, Annamalai told the media that the DMK was rattled at the scam getting into the public domain.

“The DMK Government is afraid of the scam getting exposed. We will not be cowed down. What will they do if we launch the protest without announcing the date? We will continue to fight. If needed, we will not hesitate to lay siege to the Chief Minister’s residence,” he fumed. Terming the house arrest of BJP functionaries and arrest of senior party leaders as undemocratic, Tamilisai vowed to expose the liquor scam.

Reacting to the BJP’s charges, Tamil Nadu Law Minister S Regupathy accused the BJP-led Union Government of weaponizing the central agencies to target the opposition ruled states.

“The BJP is daydreaming about replicating Delhi in Tamil Nadu. The people of Tamil Nadu are well aware of the BJP’s designs and the saffron party’s designs will not succeed,” he told the media.