Tamil Nadu assembly polls: Jayalalithaa's prohibition assurance 'half-hearted', says Karunanidhi

Questioned why she had not implemented the dry law in the last five years as CM

DMK President M Karunanidhi today described as "half-hearted," AIADMK supremo Jayalalithaa's assurance of prohibition in a phased manner if voted to power in the assembly polls, and questioned why had she not done it in the last five years as Chief Minister.

In a letter to partymen, Karunanidhi said despite repeated clarifications from his party, Jayalalithaa was continuing to question DMK on the dry law.

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The DMK President, responding to Jayalalithaa's barb in an election rally recently that DMK "conspired" to sell liquor through clubs, said his party manifesto for May 16 Assembly polls had made it clear that a law will be enacted to implement prohibition and ways and means will be found to compensate the resultant revenue loss.

He said though Jayalalithaa had now proposed bringing in the dry regime in a phased manner, her cabinet colleague, Electricity and Excise Minister Natham R Viswanathan, had earlier categorically ruled out prohibition.

"Having made a half-hearted announcement (on implementing prohibition in phases), she is now asking why DMK had not proposed total prohibition," he said.

By doing so, she was trying to mislead people, he said adding the DMK had "clearly" stated its intention to implement prohibition in the state.

Referring to Jayalalithaa's remarks that she was keen to implement prohibition, Karunanidhi asked "what has she been doing for the past five years."

"The entire authority is in her hands. What little step has she taken for implementing prohibition, albeit in a staggered way," he asked.

Prohibition has taken centre stage in this election, with all parties promising to bring a dry law if voted to power.

Liquor sales, done through state-run TASMAC outlets, brings in about Rs 30,000 crore to the state exchequer, annually.