All political parties barring the AIADMK contesting the 2016 Assembly election has declared that total prohibition is their top priority. “The first file I’ll sign after taking office as Chief Minister would be to declare Tamil Nadu a liquor-free State,” declares M Karunanidhi, the DMK patriarch, in all his election rallies. What started as a demand by the Vanniyar promoted PMK has become a Statewide topic as Anbumani Ramadoss, the PMK’s chief ministerial candidate has the last laugh.
“All political parties had copied and hijacked our programmes and proposals. Even before the elections were announced the PMK has been campaigning for total prohibition in Tamil Nadu,” said Anbumani. The DMK was silent about prohibition or an exclusive agricultural budget during 2011 Assembly election and the 2014 lok Sabha election. In addition to the DMK, the six party alliance of the People’s Welfare Front and the BJP have declared that they too would usher in prohibition in Tamil Nadu.
There are many questions left unanswered by the leaders of these political parties. Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (TASMAC), the State monopoly in liquor retailing in the State rakes in Rs 28,000 crore annually through sale of spirits. "The moment they make Tamil Nadu free of liquor, the State coffers will fall short by Rs 28,000 crore. How are they going to square up this shortageIJ," asked a senior political commentator in Chennai.
The only politician who has made a pragmatic suggestion about prohibition is J Jayalalithaa, the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. "I do things which I promise. Prohibition in one go is not possible as well as practical. All we can do is to enforce it in phases," said Jayalalithaa. She does not forget to take a pot shot at Karunanidhi who swears by total prohibition. "It was Karunanidhi who lifted prohibition in Tamil Nadu in 1971 during his tenure as Chief Minister. He became Chief Minister five times after that. Why didn't he make Tamil Nadu a State free of liquorIJ" she asks in all her campaign rallies.
Medical doctor-turned social activist Dr Sumant Raman says the idea of total prohibition is outdated, difficult to implement and not practical. "let them bring down the number of retail liquor shops, hours of liquor selling and increase rehabilitation centres. But the idea of liquor-free State is not going to work," said Dr Raman.
Interestingly, not a single party, including the PMK, which contests in the assembly election in Puducherry, speaks about prohibition in the union territory. Puducherry is hardly 150 km from Chennai and the State has long borders with the union territory as well as Andhra Pradesh. "How is it possible for the enforcing agencies to prevent the flow of liquor through the porous border," said a senior bureaucrat.
Even as most of the parties are pitching for prohibition in the State, representatives of these parties could be seen in TASMAC bars late into the evenings. They greet those who frequent the watering holes and ask for votes from them as well as their family members. Before they move to the next table, they tell the guests not to pay the bills as it will be paid by the party representatives themselves. Though electioneering is usually noisy, in liquor shops in Chennai, it is a dignified and silent process.
What is significant about TASMAC bars is that they are all owned by politicians cutting across party lines. "Nobody other than politicians could enter the bar business in Tamil Nadu. Hence the promise that they would bring in prohibition has to be taken with a pinch of salt," said a commentator.