DMK Minister for MSME and Tamil Nadu Urban Habitation Development Board, Tha Mo Anbarasan, has come under scrutiny after a video featuring him went viral on social media.
During an event organized by Alandur Government Higher Secondary School, the minister commented that men in Tamil Nadu were not engaged in work but rather loitering in TASMAC for liquor. He noted that wherever he looked, Hindi-speaking individuals and women were the ones working, despite the content of his speech being intended as humorous, seemed to overlook the harsh reality of citizens’ lives. Anbarasan commented, “Now women are working more than men, no men are working. Our men are heading towards TASMAC after sending their wives to work. Look, I’m not saying this for laughs… This is our family, our people, so I’m talking happily. Men don’t work, I’ve said this in many gatherings, you can check who is at the tea shop. Who is there? There is only a northerner who came through migration, even if go to Adyar Ananda Bhavan there are only Hindi speaking people. He doesn’t understand what Masala Dosa is, and we don’t understand what he is saying.”
In the state of Tamil Nadu, a disheartening reality prevails as the government faces accusations of primarily relying on revenue generated from liquor sales through TASMAC. The recent ironic remark made by a current DMK cabinet minister sheds light on this issue. Despite frequent news reports featuring incidents related to liquor-related crimes, accidents, protests, and more, the government persists in the sale of alcohol as a means to generate revenue.
In 2019, the Madras High Court expressed concern over the rising incidence of crimes influenced by alcohol consumption. The court suggested that the state government, engaged in selling liquor to its citizens, should be held accountable as an abettor of such crimes
Numerous news reports highlight incidents of individuals with alcohol addiction causing harm to their own families, such as instances where addicts are responsible for fatal incidents.
- In February 2024, 71-year-old Kasiammal, known for her role in the Tamil movie “Kadaisi Vivasayi,” was allegedly murdered by her 52-year-old son, P Namakodi, in their house near Usilampatti. The dispute arose over money for alcohol, leading to a heated argument and the fatal assault.
- In November 2023, in Dindigul, Eshwaran, a 43-year-old a jobless alcoholic went on a stabbing spree, killing his 70-year-old mother and an 80-year-old neighbor while injuring his 14-year-old daughter, following his wife’s denial of money for liquor.
- In September 2021, in Madurai district, police arrested a M Ramesh 21-year-old for killing his elderly mother after she refused to provide money for his alcohol consumption.
- In November 2021, in Aanaikuppam, a 32-year-old man, S Karthik, allegedly killed his father P Subramanian (76), for denying him money to purchase liquor.
Journalists and political commentators attribute the increasing incidence of accident-related crimes in Tamil Nadu to the widespread prevalence of alcohol in the state. In 2021, Tamil Nadu witnessed a spike in road accident fatalities, deviating from a three-year pattern, while Chennai maintained its leading position among metros in road accidents, as reported by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). Interestingly, there was a significant decline in fatalities related to drunken driving, dropping from 236 in 2020 to 15 in 2021, potentially linked to pandemic-induced restrictions on alcohol sales throughout the year.
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