Chennai, March 31 : The PMK, the political arm of the influential Vanniyar community and a constituent of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), has announced a statewide agitation against online gambling.

The move comes in response to a growing number of suicides linked to financial losses incurred through these platforms.

PMK President Dr Anbumani Ramadoss, in a statement released on Monday, criticised the DMK government for its inaction and called for urgent steps to curb online gambling. He revealed that since the DMK assumed office in 2021, at least 77 people have died by suicide due to financial distress caused by online gambling.

Dr Anbumani, a Rajya Sabha MP and former Union Minister, questioned the DMK government's delay in taking action and demanded clarity on its stand regarding a ban on online gambling.

He pointed out that 15 months have passed since the government filed an appeal against a High Court order related to the ban, yet the case has not been taken up for hearing.

Citing a recent incident, he mentioned the death of Vennila, a resident of Mittnakuppam village in Thirupathur district, who died by suicide after her husband became addicted to online gambling. Her death marked the 10th such case in the past three months alone.

Dr Anbumani added that 27 suicides have occurred in the last one and a half years due to gambling-related issues and accused the DMK of showing minimal commitment to tackling the crisis.

The PMK will finalise the date and time of the agitation following a meeting of its state executive committee, he said.

PMK founder Dr S. Ramadoss also called upon the DMK government to enact a new bill banning online gambling. Referring to the tragic death of Mahendran, a milk trader from the Dindigul district who reportedly took his life after losing over Rs 2 lakh to gambling apps, he urged the government to act swiftly to prevent further loss of life.

/IANS