VCK urges Centre to draft national policy to achieve total prohibition; announces anti-liquor conference in Kallakurichi

CHENNAI: Even as the president of Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) Thol Thirumavalavan announced a conference in Kallakurichi on October 2, coinciding with Gandhi Jayanthi, demanding total prohibition in Tamil Nadu, a decision seen at odds with its ally DMK at the helm of affairs in the State, he balanced the move by urging the BJP-led Union government to frame a national-level policy on total prohibition across the nation.

The VCK chief also suggested that the central government extend a special package to the states that come forward to implement total prohibition.

In a press meet, putting the DMK under pressure, he declared that the VCK’s women’s wing would conduct the conference in the town where over 64 hooch deaths were recorded last June, and also said that he was open to accommodate any friendly force including the AIADMK, the rival Dravidian major.

Justifying his open call to the AIADMK to join the conference, Thirumavalavan said, "excluding communal and caste groups, which were worse than liquor or drug addiction, the party invites all democratic and political forces to join them in their efforts to achieve an alcohol and drug-free nation."

He further clarified that his open invitation to the AIADMK to join the conference has nothing to do with the party's electoral politics, in a statement made to water down speculation over a rift between the allies in the DMK front.

Brushing aside questions about enmity with ally DMK, over the move to protest against the ruling party, the VCK chief said there is nothing clandestine about their move. "We openly declare that the Tamil Nadu government should implement total prohibition. The government should come up with a timeline on how it is going to achieve it," Thirumavalavan said in the press meet.

"No amount of government welfare schemes will benefit or be meaningful if the Union and State governments fail to achieve total prohibition," he said, and noted that the TN government generated Rs 45,000 crore excise revenue duty by selling liquor in 2023-2024. “It accounts for 17% of the state's revenue. The government should explore alternative sources to generate revenue,” he suggested.

Thirumavalavan also tried to differentiate between assurances of phased closure of liquor outlets made by the DMK ahead of the polls and the government run by the Dravidian party, post its electoral win.

But an ally, VCK, protesting against its all-weather friend, the DMK government, coupled with the AIADMK’s positive response to the open call to join the anti-liquor agitation, has left political circles abuzz with speculation of a rift, although both alliance partners have denied it.

'NEP is Hindutva’s secret weapon to kill plurality'

Meanwhile, calling the National Education Policy (NEP) "an evolution of Hindutva forces’ Hindi imposition agenda", the Chidambaram constituency MP said it was part of a larger game plan of the BJP to impose Hindi on a multi-lingual country. NEP is designed to turn the entire population of the country into a Hindi-speaking population in the next couple of decades, he alleged.

"NEP was an attack on linguistic minorities, besides facilitating the linguistic majority to propagate their policies such as Sanatana Dharma. Since we knew the ulterior motive from the beginning, we are opposing NEP," he said, and added that they were not opposed to learning any language in the state, they were only against imposition.

'VCK is not against Arunthathiyar sub-quota'

Thirumavalavan rejected the charges that the VCK was against Arunthathiyars getting benefits out of sub-classification of SC/ST reservation and said it was a ‘wrong interpretation’. "We are not against the sub-quota reservation for Arunthathiyars. In fact, the then Chief Minister M Karunanidhi had held a discussion with us over 3% internal reservation for Arunathathiyars. After we responded positively, he held an all-party meeting over the issue," he recalled.

Moreover, the VCK never referred to the existing reservation policy in Tamil Nadu nor the compartmental reservation for the Arunanthathiyars in the review petition, which was filed against the Supreme Court's order on sub-classification of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, he said.

“Sub-classification of SCs will dismantle the collective power of the SCs and turn them into powerless splinter groups. This will ultimately deny them access to power in the government,” Thirumavalavan stated, adding that the VCK’s stance on the matter was based on a national perceptive.

He went on to note that former Uttar Pradesh CM and BSP supremo Mayawati, Azad Samaj Party chief and Nagina MP Chandrasekhar Azad, Dr B R Ambedkar’s grandson Prakash Ambedkar, and organisations like the Dalit Panthers in Maharashtra were all in opposition of the sub-classification of SCs.

Regupathy hails Thiruma’s speciall bonding with Stalin, rebuffs talks of alliance break-up

VCK will always travel with the DMK as the party chief has a special bond with the Chief Minister MK Stalin, said minister S Regupathy in Pudukkottai on Tuesday. Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a review meeting with the officials, Regupathy said, that anyone can participate in the pro-prohibition conference organised by the VCK but none can take away the strong association it has with the DMK.

“The VCK Chief Thol Thirumavalavan has a special bond with the Chief Minister MK Stalin and he will never leave the chief minister and the alliance”, Regupathy stressed.

(With inputs from Online Desk)