With speculation of a rift between the DMK and its ally VCK escalating, the two parties seem to have come to an understanding on September 16. The latest standoff between the two parties emerged over its position over the ban of alcohol in the state. The DMK has faced severe criticism after 65 people lost their lives to methanol-laced alcohol in June this year. Following this, the VCK has intensified its campaign against alcohol prohibition.

As part of its campaign, the VCK has proposed to carry out an alcohol prohibition rally on October 2 - MK Gandhi’s birthday. And as part of the consensus, the event will be attended by DMK MPs RS Bharathi and TKS Elangovan.

Further, Chief Minister MK Stalin has promised the VCK that a prohibition would be enforced in Tamil Nadu in a phased manner after finding an alternative source of revenue to the state coffers. 

The announcement was made by the VCK on September 16, after party president and Chidambaram MP Thol Thirumavalavan’s meeting with Chief Minister Stalin. 

In the meeting, the VCK submitted its proposal to enforce a total ban on alcohol in the state. The VCK also wants the state government to send similar proposals to all other state governments to bring in such a ban across the country. 

Addressing the media, Thirumavalavan said that DMK’s former Chief Ministers Anna Durai and M Karunanidhi had supported a ban on alcohol. “The CM read our proposal and said that ‘prohibition is a DMK principle too.’ The CM also said that the DMK will be sending RS Bharathi and TKS Elangovan to the October 2 rally. He has promised that keeping in mind the issue of revenue, a stage-by-stage alcohol ban will be enforced in Tamil Nadu.”

Speculations of a rift between the two parties arose after Thirumavalavan made several statements condemning the DMK’s liquor policy in the state and demanding total prohibition in the wake of the Kallakurichi liquor tragedy. The party’s October 2 rally is to be held in Kallakurichi, where 65 people lost their lives after consuming illegally brewed arrack.

The speculations gathered momentum when the VCK, on September 10, extended an invitation to the state’s main Opposition party, the AIADMK along with actor Vijay’s newly launched political party Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK) to join the rally. At the time, Thirmuvalavan had dismissed rumours and had asked not to make this a “political issue”. 

However, doubts of a rift were raised once again when Thirumavalavan’s official X handle shared a clip of his 1999 speech on the need for power sharing between allies. The post was deleted on the same day without explanation, fuelling more theories. 

On September 14, Thirumavalavan’s handle shared a clip from his speech where he again speaks about the need for not just seat-sharing but also power-sharing between allies in government. The post was captioned, “ ‘Democracy for the last person, power for the poor too’,” has been the VCK’s stance since 1999, when we first set foot in the path of electoral politics.” In press meets held in the following days, Thirumavalavan reiterated his position on power-sharing and added that there was nothing wrong in speaking out about this. He also drew the example of the BJP, who gave Cabinet berths to their allies in 2014 despite having a majority on their own. He further said that the video had been deleted because of a misunderstanding. 

Row with PMK

Meanwhile, the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK), a Vanniyar caste-majority party and an ally of  the BJP, took issue with Thirumavalavan's explanation for not inviting either of them. The VCK chief had told media persons on September 15 that the reason for not inviting the PMK and the BJP was because their politics was based on caste and communalism. 

When PMK President and Rajya Sabha MP Anbumani Ramadoss was asked about this accusation, he replied “What is his [Thirumavalavan’s] party then?” Ramadoss was referring to VCK’s Dalit leadership.  

It’s to be noted, while claiming to represent working class people, PMK founder and Anbumani’s father S Ramadoss, has repeatedly made anti-Dalit casteist statements. In 2013, he launched the false narrative of a “naadaga kaathal” (drama love) similar to the love-jihad narrative of the BJP. Ramadoss claimed that Dalit men dress in fashionable clothes in order to “lure” away dominant caste women. 

In his September 15 press meet Anbumani went on to say, “The PMK is a social justice party. We have fought for prohibition and a ban on tobacco, we banned gutka. Thirumavalavan has repeatedly spoken ill of our party that has accomplished such things. He needs to stop this. We can speak ill of their party too if we wanted. Go ahead and have your rally. Wherever there is a rally for prohibition in the country, PMK will support it. Regardless of whether or not we are invited, we will support the rally because prohibition is the party’s fundamental principle.”

The PMK’s rise to political prominence has a lot to do with its long-standing demand for prohibition that began in the mid-2000s, leading to clashes with the state’s top cinema stars including Rajinikanth, Vijay and Dhanush. 

As TNM has previously reported, prohibition has done little to curtail alcohol-related deaths. Data shows a rise in liquor deaths in states with total prohibition such as Bihar and Gujarat. Currently in Tamil Nadu, only the state government is permitted to produce, distribute and market alcohol through the Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (TASMAC). 

Also read: 

Kallakurichi tragedy: No, prohibition will not end illicit liquor deaths 

Ground Report: Lethal nexus of bootlegger and corrupt cops led to Kallakurichi tragedy

The politics of smoking: Why Rajinikanth gave up his famed cigarette toss