In his open letter to people of Tamil Nadu, Actor and Chief of Makkal Needhi Maiam Kamal Haasan has slammed the state government for its decision to re-commence the operations of the TASMAC outlets across the state amid the Coronavirus outbreak.

The actor turned politician has issued his letter on Thursday when the state-owned liquor shop outlets resumed its operations across the state, except in Chennai, after being shut down for over six weeks in the wake of the lockdown. The actor has compared the resumption of TASMAC outlets to genocide. 

He stated that "The Tamizh Nadu government's decision to re-open the liquor shops was like sending wounded, hungry, and misdirected soldiers to battle a fully prepared army of armed and lethal giants". By directly blaming the government, the actor said that the leaders of the state are grabbing their shares, continuing their hunts while children of the state are threatened with starvation. 

"Leaders of this government proclaim themselves to be the mother's government. You are at best a rabid alpha male pride of predators, who have forgotten their Amma (mother)" he added.

My Beloved People of Thamizh Nadu #தாங்குமாதமிழகம் pic.twitter.com/ZHEDnjAsdw

— Kamal Haasan (@ikamalhaasan) May 7, 2020

By pointing the government, he further stated that "you have donated pure gold Thalis (Mangalsutras) for the poor brides of the state, knowing fully well that the unemployed Tamizhian you trained with your alcohol, is more committed to you than his family". The tippler willingly plucks the mangalsutra from his wife's neck in his delirium tremens (which is a rapid onset of confusion usually caused by withdrawal from alcohol).

He said that the government is warned of probable intentional genocide and what the government has done is a crime. He appealed to the people to do away with criminals for governance. The actor has issued his two-page open letter amid the resumption of the TASMAC outlets. 

According to the Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (TASMAC),  about 20 lakh liters of alcohol worth of Rs 170 crore were sold on Thursday, the first day of resuming the services. The tipplers had taken a break from the social distancing norms and queued up before the outlets to buy liquor. Despite a huge revenue, the visuals from across the state had raised assumptions on whether the state government has compromised its containment strategy amid the rapid spread of the virus.

Also read: Revenue over welfare: How much TN earned through TASMAC outlets on the first day?