Tamil Nadu BJP leaders, including state BJP chief K. Annamalai, former Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan, and state secretary Vinoj P Selvam, were detained by the police on Monday, ahead of their protest against the alleged multi-crore Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation Limited (TASMAC) scam.
Before the protest could begin, the police either placed them under house arrest or took them into custody before they could reach the protest site.
As she was being escorted away, Soundararajan told the media, “They are arresting me from my residence. I will not go separately; I want everyone to come with me”. Heavy police deployment was seen outside her residence in Chennai.
The Tamil Nadu BJP had earlier announced statewide protests on March 17, targeting the TASMAC over alleged financial irregularities. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) recently uncovered discrepancies in TASMAC amounting to nearly Rs 1,000 crore, prompting BJP leader K. Annamalai to liken it to liquor scams in Delhi and Chhattisgarh.
ALSO READ: ED Alleges Rs 1,000 Crore Liquor 'Scam' In TASMAC Operations In Tamil Nadu
Annamalai Reacts To Detention
Annamalai condemned the detentions, accusing the DMK government of acting out of fear.
In a post on X, he wrote, "The DMK government, trembling with fear, has placed one of its senior leaders and former governor, Tamilisai Soundararajan, state secretary Vinoj P Selvan, and state district administrators under house arrest, preventing them from participating in the protest. Is it because we declared the protest democratically that you engage in such cowardly actions? What can you do if we suddenly launch a protest one day, without announcing a date?"
Other BJP protesters were also detained by the police while trying to stage a protest.
The DMK government has firmly denied the allegations, calling them politically motivated. Party leaders accused the BJP's protest of being an attempt to provoke controversy and claimed that central agencies were unfairly targeting opposition-ruled states.