Drugs in TN: Thiruma’s veiled attack

CHENNAI: In what appears as toeing the line of hard-core critics of the DMK government, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) president Thol Thirumavalavan has taken up the gauntlet against the usage of narcotics in the State.

The VCK chief announced that his party’s women’s wing would hold a conference to eradicate liquor and drugs, in the backdrop of the Kallakurichi tragedy taking the lives of 66 people last June.

“There are calls given by various parties to end corruption across the country while the Ambedkar movements were fighting to eradicate casteism. But there is no call given to eradicate liquor and drug addiction,” he said.

The Chidambaram Lok Sabha MP, a long-term DMK ally, rued that many are getting introduced to liquor in their teenage. Liquor and drugs were easily available and people were getting addicted to it.

With this attack, Thiruma has joined AIADMK general secretary Edappadi Palaniswami and BJP state unit chief Annamalai.

“In rural areas, over 20 out of the 100 people are addicted. It not only affects their families but the country as a whole. Those youngsters could have become leaders like Ambedkar and Periyar but they get addicted to drugs and die by the age of 40,” he said.

But the DMK’s alliance partner blamed it on the bureaucrats for the sad state of affairs. He said that officials who are managing liquor sales in the states are devising strategies to increase profits.