Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), a key ally of the ruling DMK party, is fully prepared for the women's conference on alcohol and drug prohibition, which will be held tomorrow, October 2, in Ulunderpet, Kallakurichi.
The conference, expected to draw at least a lakh women from across Tamil Nadu, will urge the state government to establish a timeline for the complete closure of liquor shops, implement concrete measures to control the circulation of narcotics, involve women’s Self Help Groups in abolition campaigns, and provide treatment and rehabilitation for those struggling with alcohol dependency.
The conference will also make demands to the central government, emphasising the need for interim special funds to support states willing to implement liquor prohibition and compensate for revenue loss. Additionally, it will call for the Centre to establish a national policy on liquor prohibition.
"In the run upto the conference, we did reach out to various districts, and villages to spread awareness over the social menace caused by alcohol and drug addiction. Many gram sabhas even passed resolutions in this regard," said VCK Deputy General Secretary Vanniyarasu, while talking to The New Indian express on Tuesday.
Vanniyarasu added that; "We noticed that the initiative is being widely received beyond party lines. We strongly believe that it has ignited a sense of 'assertion' and 'commitment' over liquor prohibition in many political parties."
Sharing more on the course of action Vanniyarasu said that the conference will be a big start and the party will continue to hold meetings in various districts explaining the resolutions taken in the conference.
"Over one lakh women are expected to participate in the event, and even if 10 percent of them drive back home the message, it will make a difference. It might even initiate women's movements, small and big, against alcohol and drug addiction all over Tamil Nadu," says political observer and blogger Tharai Ilamathi.
"It will also add strength to many activists who are constantly fighting against alcohol and drugs. The conference will bring 'timely' attention and spark much-needed conversations among the public," he added.
While the demands and the notion for a meeting during a non-election season for a social cause should have ideally been the reasons for turning the attention to the conference, a slugfest of speculations over a rift and a likely split in DMK-VCK served the need.
VCK's push for a liquor prohibition, a highly improbable task in prevailing financial conditions with no concrete plan for alternative revenue generation made many wonder, if it was an attempt to put the government in a tight spot.
However, DMK eased out the situation by stating that its organising secretary R S Bharathi and MP TKS Elangovan will be attending the conference.
Commenting on the VCK anti-liquor conference, DMK spokesperson Prof. Constantine Ravindran said that nation-wide liquor prohibition is a common objective even for DMK.
"DMK MPs have raised the issue in the parliament several times earlier. We always have a democratic approach towards partners, and DMK's participation in the conference is one such instance," Ravindran added.
When asked if the DMK stand on this was a new style of democratic functioning, senior political journalist Priyan Srinivasan, said "Just because a party is a part of a ruling alliance, it doesn't mean that they need not voice out. It is not new and had happened many a times in the past."
Share additional insights of the objective of the conference and its impacts, VCK General Secretary and Villupuram MP D Ravikumar said, "We believe that there will be an increase in the number of closures of TASMAC shops, and there will be an additional momentum after the conference. Presently, the number of deaddiction centres in Government hospitals is very low. The number of such centres will likely rise now."
Will the conference carry the momentum of the vital message till the 2026 assembly election? October 2 will tell.