Kamal Haasan opposes prohibition in Tamil Nadu, says dry regime will lead to creation of 'mafia'

Chennai: Makkal Neethi Mayyam founder president Kamal Haasan has argued against prohibition, saying a dry regime would lead to the creation of a ‘mafia’. The promise of implementing prohibition was being made to garner women’s votes, Haasan said about an issue discussed by all political parties in Tamil Nadu during the 2016 Assembly polls. In Tamil Nadu, various brands of alcohol are sold through outlets run by the state-run Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (TASMAC). [caption id=“attachment_4372373” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File image of Kamal Haasan. PTI[/caption] While opposition parties, including DMK, promised implementing prohibition in their election manifesto, the ruling AIADMK, which won the polls to sail into a successive term, assured a phased implementation of the dry regime. Subsequently, the AIADMK government has so far closed down 1,000 retail liquor outlets run by TASMAC. Writing in his weekly Tamil column in the vernacular magazine ‘Ananda Vikatan,’ Haasan said it was easier in Tamil Nadu to spot a TASMAC outlet than a post office. “If you implement prohibition, a mafia will emerge,” he said without elaborating. He was apparently hinting at the emergence of hooch if a dry regime is implemented. Prohibition is not like gambling which can be stopped instantly as the “body will not accept it,” he said, referring to the consumption of alcohol. “Drinking can be cut down, but it is doubtful if it can be completely stopped,” he added. However, there is no need for so many liquor outlets in the state, he said