Chennai Nov 05: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa today denied the DMK president M Karunanidhi's charge that her government was 'unsteady' in its prohibition policy.
Defending her government's decision to entrust the retail trade of IMFs to state-owned Tamil Nadu state marketing corporation and to the co-operatives in the state, she said it was only to put an end to 'cartel', which wanted to hijack the trade, causing revenue losses to the government.
Having a dig at Karunanidhi, without naming him for his criticism that her government was 'unsteady' in its liquor policy, she said 'he is only unsteady and confused. Confusion is over aligning with other parties, because if he joins one, he may lose the existing one', she said in an apparent reference to the speculation that the DMK might align with the congress for the Lok Sabha polls after leaving the NDA.
She charged Karunanidhi with introducing liquor to the youth of state and also for the financial mess the state was facing now.
Karunanidhi, when he was the Chief Minister in 1972, lifted the prohibition in force in the state right from independence on the plea that it could not implement prohibition unless the neighbouring states also introduced it. 'we are like camphor surrounded by fire', he said justifying the government's decision to lift prohibition.
Bureau Report