DMK working president and Leader of the Opposition M.K. Stalin on Monday alleged that gutkha was still being sold in various parts of the State. This was evident from the fact that the police were regularly arresting individuals for selling the banned tobacco product, he said. Speaking in the Assembly, the DMK leader recalled that last year, he tried to produce evidence of the availability of gutkha before the House. “But you didn’t allow [me to do it]. Media reports suggest that the sale [of gutkha] is still continuing,” he said while intervening during a debate.
When Speaker P. Dhanapal made a mention of a case that is pending before the Madras High Court, Mr. Stalin responded saying, “The pending case is about the action you took against us [DMK MLAs were accused of committing a breach of privilege by carrying sachets of gutkha in the House].
