Chennai, May 23 : The Tamil Nadu unit of the BJP is in the process of promoting toddy tapping in the state with an eye on the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. BJP state president, K. Annamalai in a recent statement said that the party at Villupuram district conference would support toddy tapping. The BJP president said that in all other districts also the party would take a stand to promote it. This, according to sources in the BJP, is a realistic move as the party had been vouching for total prohibition in Tamil Nadu during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. It may be recalled that during the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, both the DMK and the AIADMK had promised prohibition in a phased manner while BJP was for total prohibition. However, the party has now taken a stand on regulating Tasmac shops and on how responsible drinkers were not posing any problems for the society. The BJP state president has said that he would meet Chief Minister M.K Stalin personally and hand over to him a white paper on how toddy can eventually be an alternative to Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL). The BJP president has also said that toddy tapping and jaggery produced from it could generate Rs 1 lakh crore in the next five years. It may be recalled that the former leader of BJP, L. Ganesan who is presently the Governor of Nagaland had in 2009 promoted toddy tapping and making of toddy during a conclave of toddy tappers. The state BJP is eyeing the support of the powerful coconut growers in Erode, Salem, Thenkasi, and other western and southern areas of Tamil Nadu to get handful gains in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. /IANS