Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu) [India], May 16 (ANI): Amid the ongoing internal turmoil within the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, AIADMK MLA Leema Rose Martin on Friday voiced support for the party’s alliance with the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) and praised Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay for welfare measures and the closure of 717 TASMAC liquor outlets across the state.
Addressing the media here, Martin said the alliance was formed keeping the welfare of Tamil Nadu people in mind.
“For the welfare of Tamil Nadu people, we have joined with the TVK party. For higher education studies, the present government has given Rs 1,000 to students. The ‘Singa Pen’ scheme has been welcomed by all women,” she said.
Praising the Chief Minister’s recent decision to shut down liquor outlets violating distance norms, she added, “When taking charge, the Chief Minister Joseph Vijay asked to give time, and he has closed 717 TASMAC shops, which is a good move from his side.”
She also indicated efforts to reunify the AIADMK amid the deepening factional divide within the party.
“We are trying to unite AIADMK leaders who got split out from the party,” she said.
Her remarks come at a time when the AIADMK is witnessing intensifying factional tensions. On Friday, senior AIADMK leader C V Shanmugam asserted that former Tamil Nadu minister C Vijayabaskar had already been appointed as the party’s official whip.
The internal rift within the AIADMK has escalated following disciplinary action initiated by the faction led by party General Secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami against leaders accused of violating the party whip during a recent floor test in the Tamil Nadu Assembly.
Meanwhile, one of the major governance decisions taken by the TVK-led Tamil Nadu government under Chief Minister Vijay on Tuesday was the closure of 717 TASMAC liquor retail outlets functioning within a 500-metre radius of places of worship, educational institutions and bus stands.
According to an official release, out of the 4,765 TASMAC outlets operating across Tamil Nadu, 717 shops were found violating the prescribed norms during a government survey. These include 276 outlets near places of worship, 186 near educational institutions and 255 near bus stands.
The Tamil Nadu government stated that the move was taken keeping public welfare in mind, despite TASMAC being one of the state’s major revenue-generating systems. (ANI)
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