PMK's Anbumani Ramadoss demands Tamil Nadu close 1,000 liquor shops yearly
Synopsis
PMK's Anbumani Ramadoss wants Tamil Nadu to shut 1,000 liquor shops a year for three years — and he's challenging the state's ₹60,000 crore liquor revenue arithmetic with a stark claim: 1.10 lakh more men than women died last year, and he blames alcohol. On the same day, he questioned the state's law and order after murders in Tirunelveli and Chennai.
Key Takeaways
PMK leader Anbumani Ramadoss on 30 September 2026 demanded the closure of all liquor shops in Tamil Nadu within three years .
He proposed shutting 1,000 outlets annually as part of a phased programme.
Tamil Nadu reportedly earns approximately ₹60,000 crore annually from the liquor trade, which Ramadoss called insufficient to justify the human cost.
He cited a claimed gap of 1.10 lakh more male deaths than female deaths last year, attributing much of it to alcohol-linked causes — though without specifying a source.
In a separate statement, Ramadoss raised concerns over recent murders in Tirunelveli and Chennai , questioning the state's law and order direction.
Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) leader and former Union Minister Anbumani Ramadoss on 30 September 2026 urged the Tamil Nadu government to shut down all liquor outlets within three years, arguing that the social and economic damage caused by alcohol consumption far exceeds the revenue the state earns from its sale. In a separate statement issued the same day, Ramadoss also raised sharp questions about the law and order situation in the state following recent killings.
The Phased Closure Demand
Ramadoss proposed a structured shutdown of 1,000 liquor outlets annually as the mechanism to achieve a full closure within the three-year window. The statement, however, did not explain how closing 1,000 shops each year would result in a complete shutdown across all outlets within the proposed timeline — a gap critics may note in the arithmetic of the plan.
He claimed that Tamil Nadu earns approximately ₹60,000 crore annually from the liquor trade, but contended that the broader costs of alcohol addiction — including accidents, suicides, heart ailments, and kidney failure — make that revenue a poor trade-off for the state.
The Human Cost Argument
Ramadoss cited figures indicating that Tamil Nadu recorded 1.10 lakh more male deaths than female deaths last year, attributing much of this gap to causes associated with alcohol consumption. He did not specify the source of these figures or provide a detailed breakdown of the deaths in his statement.
His argument centred on the principle that governments should weigh the full cost of liquor sales — premature deaths, broken families, lost productivity — rather than evaluating the trade solely through its contribution to the state exchequer. This is a recurring demand from PMK, which has long positioned prohibition as a central plank of its political identity in Tamil Nadu.
Law and Order Concerns
In a separate but concurrent statement, Ramadoss expressed deep concern over what he described as a recent surge in murders across the state. He cited a double murder in Tirunelveli and the killing of a young man in front of his family in Chennai as instances that, in his view, pointed to a deteriorating public safety environment.
Notably, his criticism of law and order was made independently of his liquor-related demands — the two statements did not establish any direct link between alcohol and the specific killings he referenced.
Political Context and What Comes Next
The dual statements come as the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK)-led state government faces periodic opposition pressure on both prohibition and crime. PMK has historically advocated for total prohibition, and Ramadoss's renewed push is consistent with the party's longstanding position ahead of the next electoral cycle.
The Tamil Nadu government has not yet responded publicly to either demand. Whether the ruling dispensation chooses to engage with the phased closure proposal or treat it as routine opposition rhetoric will signal how seriously the administration takes the revenue-versus-welfare calculus heading into the coming months.
Point of View
Even if the figures lack sourcing. The claim that 1.10 lakh more men than women died last year, attributed broadly to alcohol, is a striking number that the government will need to either contest or confront. The ₹60,000 crore revenue figure is real and politically sensitive; the DMK cannot easily dismiss the welfare argument without appearing to choose revenue over lives. The law and order criticism, kept separate from the liquor issue in the same statement, is tactically smart — it widens the front of attack without overreaching on causation. The arithmetic gap in his own proposal — closing 1,000 shops a year may not add up to a full shutdown in three years — is the most obvious vulnerability the government or critics could exploit.
NationPress
30 Sept 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What has Anbumani Ramadoss demanded from the Tamil Nadu government?
PMK leader Anbumani Ramadoss has demanded that the Tamil Nadu government close all liquor shops within three years, proposing an annual shutdown of 1,000 outlets as part of a phased programme. He argued that the social and human costs of alcohol consumption outweigh the state's ₹60,000 crore annual liquor revenue.
How much does Tamil Nadu earn from liquor sales, according to Ramadoss?
According to Ramadoss, Tamil Nadu earns approximately ₹60,000 crore annually from the liquor trade. He maintained that the losses from alcohol addiction — including deaths, accidents, and health ailments — far exceed this revenue.
What figures did Ramadoss cite on alcohol-related deaths?
Ramadoss claimed that Tamil Nadu recorded 1.10 lakh more male deaths than female deaths last year, attributing much of this gap to alcohol-linked causes such as accidents, suicides, heart ailments, and kidney failure. His statement did not specify the source of these figures.
What law and order concerns did Ramadoss raise?
In a separate statement, Ramadoss cited a double murder in Tirunelveli and the killing of a young man in front of his family in Chennai as evidence of a deteriorating public safety situation in Tamil Nadu. He questioned the direction in which law and order in the state was heading.
Has PMK raised the prohibition demand before?
Yes. PMK has historically made prohibition a central plank of its political agenda in Tamil Nadu. Ramadoss's renewed demand is consistent with the party's longstanding position, though this iteration is more specific in proposing a phased, three-year closure plan tied to an annual outlet-shutdown target.
