Need national policy on prohibition: Thirumavalavan

VCK president Thol. Thirumavalavan on Wednesday advocated the need to have a nationwide policy to enforce prohibition, and prevent drug abuse.

Speaking at the party’s conference on prohibition at Ulundurpet, he pointed out that the VCK was not raising the issue for the first time. The party had organised a women’s conference in Tiruchi, calling for prohibition, in 2015. Sale of liquor is a problem across the country, and not confined to Tamil Nadu, he added.

However, the VCK’s invitation to parties, especially the AIADMK, to participate in the conference was twisted out of context and given a political colour, he said.

Mr. Thirumavalavan further said that there was a need to shut down liquor shops across the country, and enforce complete prohibition as the nation’s human resources were being wasted. “We will not have had great leaders like Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, Periyar and Karl Marx today had they been addicted to liquor and drugs,” he said.

With respect to prohibition, the VCK had been insisting to fulfil two demands for many years. The first was that the State government enforce prohibition by shutting down liquor shops. The second, he said, was that the Centre pass a separate law on prohibition in the country.

“I discussed the aspects of enforcing total prohibition in the State at a meeting with Chief Minister M.K. Stalin recently,” he noted.

The DMK would retain power and emerge victorious in the 2026 Assembly election if it closed liquor shops in the State, he added.

Published - October 03, 2024 12:32 am IST