COIMBATORE: The youth wing of the NDA parties conducted a protest in Coimbatore on Saturday against the state government, alleging that it has failed to control the drug menace and liquor sale. They also condemned the Congress and its youth wing for protesting at the India AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi.
After the protest, MLA and BJP Mahila Morcha national President Vanathi Srinivasan met the press and accused the Tamil Nadu state government of encouraging people to become addicted to alcohol in the state. "The number of people addicted to the liquor consumption in Tamil Nadu in the last five years has increased abnormally. The government is opening liquor shops under various banners, and the availability of liquor and drugs, especially synthetic drugs, has increased. The situation is worse in Tamil Nadu, where liquor sale ruins the middle-aged groups, and the drug menace targets the student community. The impact will continue for a generation," she stated.
On the DMK-DMDK alliance, Vanathi said it was an alliance against Vijayakanth's wish. "I personally knew how Vijayakanth was helpful to the BJP when we allied with Tamil Nadu in 2014. He thought about the development of the state and supported PM Narendra Modi. Contrastingly, Premalatha Vijayakanth took a drastic decision even after knowing the situation of the state. We feel that she may fail to think about the welfare of the state, and it will never be beneficial to the DMDK," she said.
On former Speaker P Dhanapal's son D Lokesh Tamilselvan joining the TVK, she said that it is usual for those who feel disappointed in getting chances in their parties to join new parties. "AIADMK gave a chance to him in Nilgiris constituency in the 2024 Lok Sabha election. We don't know why he switched to the TVK, but the youngsters and women are expecting the NDA to win the Tamil Nadu assembly election," she added.
Replying to a question about Edappadi K Palaniswami sharing a saffron-clad photo of Tamil Poet Thiruvalluvar in his X handle post for wishing International Mother Language Day, Vanathi said we can see the portraits of Thiruvalluvar with Hindu religious marks at mutts and Adheenams, and it is not a big offence as Thiruvalluvar spoke a lot about Hinduism. Vibuthi (sacred ash) is an identity of Tamil people and saffron is our nation's colour," she explained.
She affirmed that more parties will join the NDA alliance before the release of the election notification. Regarding the illegal stay of Bangladeshi nationals in Tiruppur, she said the surveillance of such illegal stay of foreign nationals is being handled in a lethargic manner in Tamil Nadu.