Will oppose decision to start distilleries if it violates rules, says BJP president

Saminathan announces a slew of programmes on the occasion of the birthday of Prime Minister Narendra Modi

The Bharatiya Janata Party will oppose the decision to provide new permits for starting distilleries in the Union Territory if they violate rules pertaining to drawal of groundwater and other prescribed norms, party president V. Saminathan said here on Thursday. 

“It doesn’t matter whether we are in the ruling alliance or not. If the project is going to be in violation of environmental rules, the party will oppose the policy decision to issue new permits for starting distilleries. The BJP legislators themselves have raised the issue in the Assembly,” he said to a query on the subject at a press conference. 

Stating that the decision to issue permits for distilleries was in the nascent stage, the former legislator said the party was examining the issue after the controversy erupted. 

When his response was sought on the corruption charge raised by a BJP member itself, he said “the individual member may have spoken based on the information available with him but as the party president I am not aware of any corruption. But as I said the policy decision itself is in the nascent stage of implementation and if there is any wrong doing, the party will not hesitate from raising it.” 

The Congress party has accused the All India N. R. Congress-led National Democratic Alliance government of indulging in corruption for giving permission to start six distilleries in the Union Territory. The BJP is part of the ruling alliance and the Chief Minister holds the Excise portfolio.

On the statement of former Chief Minister V. Narayanasamy on the poor law and order situation under the NDA government in the Union Territory, Mr. Saminathan said rowdyism was at its peak when Mr. Narayanasamy headed the previous Congress government. After the NDA came to power, anti-social elements were taken to task. The police were also arresting ganja peddlers on a daily basis, he said. 

“The former Chief Minister has no right to question our government after he gave a free run to all anti-social elements,” he said.