Following Enforcement Directorate (ED) raids on Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation Limited (TASMAC) and liquor-supplying companies in Tamil Nadu, State Minister V. Senthil Balaji denied the corruption allegations, asserting that the state government would address the matter legally.
"ED has alleged a Rs 1,000 crore scam without any basis. Earlier, one person made a similar claim, and now the ED has repeated the same in their statement. People understand the implications behind these allegations. The government will legally challenge the ED searches on TASMAC," the Minister stated.
Defending TASMAC’s transparency, he further explained, "All transactions in TASMAC are transparent. Purchases are made based on the average sales of the last three months for each brand. The procurement process also considers the average sales over the past three years and the previous month's purchases before issuing orders. No discounts have been given to any particular party, and there is no room for malpractice. The government will face the ED searches legally."
The Minister also emphasized that there had been no recent policy changes in TASMAC’s operations. "People have faith in Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin. TASMAC is administered by the state government, not a private entity. No new policy decisions have been made it continues to operate under the existing framework."
Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) accused Chief Minister M.K. Stalin of attempting to divert public attention from the ED raids by spreading misinformation about the three-language policy and other issues.