MNM president promises to solve alcoholism through rehab centres

The Makkal Needhi Maiam president continued his tour with several public speeches and interactions over the course of the day in Aarorr, Uthangarai, Maththur, Bargur, Krishnagiri, Royakottai and Hosur.

During his dialogue, he reiterated that the government had failed to grant the demands of the public, even the most reasonable ones. “Youngsters, especially first-time voters, should vote responsibly. They must not use your poverty to their advantage; ensure they don’t succeed in buying your votes,” he said. “I won’t lie. We have converted five generations of people into drunkards. While complete abolition is the aim, the proper course of action is reduction of the TASMAC shops. Our plan to abolish liquor is through setting up rehabilitation centres for addicts. We have started working towards it. Government may say that we are doing it, but they are trying to solve a problem that they caused in the first place,” he added when asked about his stance on abolition.

He expressed regret at not having entered politics earlier and said, “I’m not here to bargain the rates of your votes nor promise you freebies. I am also not here to make gradual change, the progress and change that MNM will bring will be on a war-time basis.... I need you to promise me that you won’t sell your dignity andself-respect,”