Former DMK MLA Nellikuppam Pugazhenthi has stirred controversy with his recent remarks, stating, “If I had the power, I would keep TASMAC open 24 hours a day.” He further added, “Let those who drink and die, die—we will govern with the rest.” His comments have drawn sharp criticism, especially in light of ongoing protests across Tamil Nadu led by women and social activists who argue that state-run liquor outlets (TASMAC) are destroying families—creating young widows, leaving children orphaned, and deeply harming future generations.
Pugazhenthi’s statement shocked many as he claimed the DMK’s earlier promise to ban liquor contributed to their electoral defeat—suggesting the party lost support due to that stance.
These remarks came during a DMK-organized event in South Pammal, held to mark the 102nd birth anniversary of former Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi and to highlight the achievements of the DMK government over the past four years.
Speaking at the event he said, “Who is to blame for us losing the last election and not coming to power? We are the reason. You ask why? We should have just kept our mouths shut in the last election. Our Thalapathy announced, ‘As soon as we come to power, the first thing we will do is shut down the TASMAC shops.’ We thought that as soon as he said this, all the mothers of Tamil Nadu would unite. They’d think that ‘My father drinks, my brother drinks, my uncle drinks, my brother-in-law drinks… and these people are saying they’ll close the liquor shops! and calculated that they would all vote for us en masse. But do you know what all the drinkers did instead?
They turned the TASMAC shop itself into the campaign quarters! The salesmen and the supervisors there became the main campaign messengers. Imagine our guy going to the shop. The moment he hands over the cash, the salesman tells him bluntly, “Listen, today is the last day. After this, there’s no more.” Our guy looked at him and asked, “What is it? We can survive without food, but how can we possibly live without our booze? What are you saying?” He replied, “Today is the last day, hereafter there is no more.” Then, they closed the shops three days before the election. All the drinkers were sitting around in the morning, asking each other, “Macha, do you have anything left over?” and he replied, “I just finished the last bit this morning, I don’t have a drop myself!” They immediately got together and made a decision, “If this is our situation after just three days, imagine what will happen if these guys come to power and shut the shops permanently! What will we do?” So, all the drinkers joined together, changed their votes, and that’s how we lost. We lost power. So, in this election, many people asked us, “So, will you be closing the shops this time?” We just kept our mouths shut. They’d ask, “Any opinion on the matter?” We didn’t open our mouth.”
He added, “Now, this is not the opinion of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK). This is not the opinion of the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Thalapathy M.K. Stalin. This is my personal opinion, Nellikuppam Pugazhenthi. If I had the power… I wouldn’t even say open TASMAC at 12 in the afternoon and close at 10 at night. 24-hours open! No holding back for anyone.”
Later said, “And why would I make it 24-hours-open? Because you are a waste to the country anyway. Go ahead, drink for 24 hours and die. We’ll run the government with the (people) who are left over.”
''தனக்கு மட்டும் அதிகாரம் இருந்தால் 24 மணி நேரமும் டாஸ்மாக்கை திறந்து வைப்பேன்…'' தி.மு.க. முன்னாள் எம்.எல்.ஏ நெல்லிக்குப்பம் புகழேந்தி சர்ச்சை பேச்சு….!#Polimer | #Chennai | #Politics | #MLA pic.twitter.com/sBZG5N4WX7
— Polimer News (@polimernews) June 19, 2025
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