Tamil Nadu police detained Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Tamilisai Soundararajan on Monday while she was protesting against the alleged Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation Limited (TASMAC) scam. The protest, organized by the BJP, was aimed at highlighting irregularities worth Rs 1,000 crore in the state-run liquor corporation, as revealed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
As police arrived to detain her at her Chennai residence, Soundararajan told reporters, “They are arresting me from my residence. I won’t go separately. I want everyone to come with me.” Heavy police presence was seen outside her residence during the detention.
Earlier in the day, Soundararajan had defended the right to protest, asserting, “Everyone has the right to protest over any issue. The ED has revealed that Rs 1,000 crore irregularities have taken place in TASMAC. Despite this, we announced a peaceful protest, but we have been surrounded.” She added that the BJP would continue to fight for the people, despite being detained.
The protest follows a series of criticisms from BJP leaders against the Tamil Nadu government. BJP leader CR Kesavan criticized the state budget as “dismal” and “directionless,” while Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai accused state minister V Senthil Balaji of being involved in multiple scams, including the TASMAC scandal. Annamalai claimed that the scam was worth over Rs 1,000 crore, labeling Balaji as the “kingpin” of corruption and criticizing Chief Minister MK Stalin for reinstating Balaji as a minister after his release from jail.