UDHAGAMANDALAM:As the government is not showing any interest in holding talks with it on the production and use of toddy, the Tamil Nadu Toddy Movement (TNTM), has decided to tap toddy unilaterally from January 21, 2016, according to TNTM field coordinator S Nallasamy.
The TNTM had conducted an ‘Ashwamedha Yajna’ in Chennai on October 27 challenging the government and others interested to prove that toddy was harmful.
The TNTM has been campaigning for the removal of the ban on toddy for 10 years. It has announced a prize of `10 crore to anyone who can prove that toddy is a narcotic substance, but nobody has come forward to do so, Nallasamy, who was on a visit to the district, told Express.
Nallasamy, who said toddy was part of food, wanted the government to interpret Article 47, which states: The state shall regard the raising of the level of nutrition and the standard of living of its people and the improvement of public health as among its primary duties and, in particular, the state shall endeavour to bring about prohibition of the consumption except for medicinal purposes of intoxicating drinks and of drugs which are injurious to health.
Toddy is a healthy drink as no pesticides are used in the cultivation of palmyra.