Chennai, Sept 1:
The ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) and Opposition DMK clashed in the Tamil Nadu Assembly on Monday over allegations that customers were being charged an additional Rs 10 for every liquor bottle purchased at Tasmac outlets.
The government alleged that the overcharging practice had existed for years, including during the previous regime, while the DMK demanded evidence and challenged the ruling party to establish the allegations through the legal process.
The debate took a contentious turn when the Opposition objected to references being made to a case pending before the court. DMK members eventually walked out after they were denied an opportunity to respond to allegations made by Ministers.
PWD and Highways Minister Aadhav Arjuna alleged that corruption was particularly prevalent in the mining and liquor sectors and questioned the transparency of licences issued to liquor manufacturing units.
He alleged that 11 distilleries had been granted licences under successive governments and claimed that individuals associated with the DMK had benefited from such licences.
Former Minister EV Velu rejected the charge and said licences were issued only to eligible applicants in accordance with established rules. He said granting a licence could not by itself be termed corruption and asked the government to take action if it had evidence.
Former Minister V Senthilbalaji also rejected the allegations and said the DMK government had closed 603 Tasmac outlets. He maintained that any alleged wrongdoing should be investigated and evidence placed before the court.
Former Minister and DMK Deputy Leader of Opposition KN Nehru questioned the ruling party over the alleged Rs 10 collection and asked whether the practice had stopped after the TVK government came to power.
Prohibition and Excise Minister K Vignesh alleged that overcharging had become entrenched in Tasmac and claimed that employees were being made to collect additional amounts from customers.
Law Minister R Nirmalkumar said that if Rs 10 was collected on annual Tasmac sales of around Rs 50,000 crore, the amount would work out to nearly Rs 5,000 crore. He said the government was taking steps to stop such collections.
Speaker JCD Prabhakar intervened and cautioned members against discussing matters pending before courts in detail.
He clarified that members could refer to a pending case and quote material contained in a court order, but should not comment on the merits of proceedings or criticise a judge’s decision.
The Speaker also warned members against describing anyone as convicted when proceedings were still pending, stressing that the court alone would deliver the final verdict.