In a politically charged development, key Tamil Nadu BJP leaders, including state BJP chief Annamalai, former Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan, and BJP state secretary Vinoj P Selvam were detained by Tamil Nadu police on Monday. The leaders were held ahead of their planned protest against the alleged Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation Limited (TASMAC) liquor scam. The protest, scheduled to begin at 11 am, faced disruption as BJP leaders were either placed under house arrest or taken into police custody before they could assemble at the protest site. The detentions sparked strong reactions from BJP leaders, who accused the DMK government of attempting to suppress a peaceful demonstration. Speaking about her detention, Tamilisai Soundararajan criticized the authorities for blocking their movement. "They are not allowing us to move out of the house. Three hundred of my Karyakartas have been kept in a marriage hall. They don’t want us to move out. We condemn the alleged Rs 1,000 crore scam in TASMAC. I should be allowed to move, but they are not letting me do that either," she stated.
 

BJP State President Annamalai condemned the DMK government’s actions, accusing the ruling party of acting out of fear. In a post on social media platform X, Annamalai wrote, "The DMK government, trembling with fear, has placed one of its senior leaders and former governor, Tamilisai Soundararajan, state secretary Vinoj P Selvam, and district administrators under house arrest. 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?" The BJP’s protest comes amid an ongoing Enforcement Directorate (ED) investigation into the alleged TASMAC scam. According to ED reports, the case involves alleged overpricing, kickbacks, and corruption amounting to nearly Rs 1,000 crore. The ED has filed three FIRs linked to the case and conducted multiple raids across Tamil Nadu to investigate the alleged irregularities in TASMAC operations.
 

The DMK government has strongly denied the allegations, dismissing them as politically motivated. DMK leaders have accused the BJP of orchestrating protests to stir controversy and claimed that central agencies like the ED are being misused to target opposition-led states. The TASMAC case has drawn public attention due to its significant financial scale and its impact on Tamil Nadu’s liquor trade. TASMAC, being the state-run monopoly in liquor retail, plays a major role in Tamil Nadu’s revenue collection. Allegations of corruption in its operations have sparked political tension, with opposition parties demanding transparency and accountability. As the investigation continues, the BJP’s aggressive stance and the DMK’s defensive response have intensified the political climate in Tamil Nadu. With both parties standing firm on their positions, the TASMAC controversy is likely to remain a focal point in the state's political discourse in the coming weeks.