BJP State president K Annamalai on May 21 met Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi at Raj Bhavan and submitted a memorandum seeking removal of Gingee Mastan and Senthilbalaji from their ministerial posts, over the recent twin hooch tragedies.
Since May 2021, there has been a spike in the increase of Drug and Alcohol abuse-related cases like never before in Tamil Nadu, he claimed in the memorandum.
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This year’s policy note of the state government states that there have been no Hooch-related tragedies in Tamil Nadu in the past 14 years. However, the recent deaths in Villupuram and Chengalpattu districts stand testament to this Government’s failure to prohibit the sale of illicit liquor in the state, he contended..
He further alleged the prime accused in the case is related to DMK.
The man arrested in Chengalpattu is the brother of DMK’s local unit vice president. Maruvoor Raja, the primary source of illicit liquor, has constantly appeared alongside Tamil Nadu Minority Affairs Minister Gingee Mastan, Annamalai alleged.
The primary responsibility of Senthilbalaji as Minister of Prohibition and Excise is to curb illicit liquor in the state. Still, he seems devoted to increasing the revenue of Tasmac, he charged.
The memorandum sought Governor’s intervention in the issue and also thanked him for seeking a report on the incident.
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Annamalai has also cited the recent Supreme Court verdict which paved the way for the Crime Branch investigation to continue against V. Senthilbalaji, who is accused of taking bribes in exchange for jobs in the Metro Transport Corporation (MTC). The verdict also gave the green signal for the initiation of proceedings by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to probe money laundering charges against the Minister.
After becoming Minister (in May 2021), Senthilbalaji has been pulling strings to get rid of the case, he alleged.
