Brewing Battle

MANY SAY THE BJP'S ATTEMPTS TO LIMIT ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION AND SALE WOULD DEPLETE TN FINANCES, IMPACTING ITS ABILITY TO FUND SOCIAL SECTOR SCHEMES

-  Amarnath K. Menon

The BJP is keen to strike a mortal blow to what is a cash cow for the Tamil Nadu government—the Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation, or TASMAC. The government entity, which has a monopoly over wholesale and retail sale of liquor in the state, generates close to Rs 44,000 crore annually. Over the years, it has been accused of corruption, mismanagement and exploitation of employees. An alleged nexus of politician-owned distilleries and TAS MAC is also said to complicate the regulation of alcohol supply in the state. Some 5,000 outlets are known to charge 2 per cent more than the MRP, amounting to at least another Rs 8,000 crore— money that allegedly enriches politicians and other private players.

This is not all. TASMAC workers are alleged to have been forced to participate in illegal liquor sales; ill-paid and working in poor conditions, they don’t mind making quick money on the side through ‘cuttings’—opening a bottle and selling contents by the ‘peg’. The alleged practice is particularly prevalent in TASMAC outlets in remote areas. It can result in adulteration, but officials have been silent. The target-oriented sales strategy at TASMAC acts as yet another spur to corruption. Then there is the festering canker of spurious liquor.

The state BJP chief K. Annamalai, who is on a statewide tour,