Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Joseph Vijay has ordered the closure of 717 state-run liquor shops within 500 meters of temples, schools, and bus stands across the state. The shops, operated by TASMAC, or the Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation, are to be shut down within two weeks.
Tamil Nadu CM Vijay Orders to close 717 liquor shops
This is the first major decision by the superstar actor and leader of the ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam, which won a significant victory in last month’s Assembly election.
Vijay and the TVK, which secured 108 seats in the state’s 234-seat assembly (107 after Vijay resigned from one of the two he won), had to wait to form the government because they were 10 seats short of a majority. This led to a week-long wait that concluded with support from the Congress, two Left parties, and a smaller Tamil party, the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi. Their backing ensured the necessary numbers.
ED raids perform across states
TASMAC’s troubles with the Enforcement Directorate (ED) surfaced in the lead-up to the April election. Last year, the ED raided locations across the state as part of an investigation into alleged money laundering involving the corporation and related entities.
Pushback over these raids occurred while the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam was in power, ultimately leading to the Supreme Court weighing in. In May of last year, the court expressed concern about the federal agency overstepping its jurisdiction. A bench led by then-Chief Justice BR Gavai questioned, “What happens to the federal structure? Are you not taking away the state government’s right to investigate? When you have a doubt about whether the state is investigating, can you do it yourself?”
In March, the ED claimed it found “multiple irregularities” in TASMAC’s operations. The agency also reported discovering “unaccounted” cash worth Rs 1,000 crore.
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