TN Dalit party VCK to hold liquor prohibition rallies in four states

Chennai, Oct 8 Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), a powerful Dalit political party and DMK ally in Tamil Nadu, will hold liquor prohibition rallies in Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka, and Telangana.

The VCK is organising these anti-liquor rallies following the success of its prohibition rally held in Ulunderpet, Kallakurichi district, Tamil Nadu, on October 2. The event was led by the VCK women’s wing to highlight the dangers of liquor consumption.

The rally was initiated in response to the tragic deaths of 67 people in Kallakurichi in June 2024 after consuming illicit alcohol.

VCK founder and Member of Parliament, Thol Thirumavalavan, announced that the party’s women’s wings in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Kerala, and Karnataka would organise similar liquor prohibition conferences.

“On behalf of the party, anti-liquor and anti-drug conferences will be conducted in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Kerala, and Karnataka. The women’s wing of the party in these states will organise the conferences,” Thirumavalavan wrote on X.

The VCK leadership is energised by the success of the Kallakurichi anti-liquor rally, which has motivated the party to conduct similar events in other South Indian states.

At the Kallakurichi conference, VCK passed several resolutions, including one urging the Union government to implement a national policy for total liquor prohibition.

Another resolution called for the Tamil Nadu government to set a timeline for the closure of state-run TASMAC liquor stores.

Thirumavalavan has taken a strong stance on liquor prohibition in Tamil Nadu, emphasising that most victims of illicit liquor tragedies are Dalit youths.

He also stated that the VCK has been working to expand its presence in other South Indian states and that the anti-liquor and anti-drug campaigns would serve as a key platform for increasing the party’s influence in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, and Kerala.

The VCK founded by Thol Thirumavalavan has two Lok Sabha MPs from Thirumavalavan and Ravikumar.

The VCK in alliance with the Congress party has also won four Assembly seats in Tamil Nadu.

Source: IANS