Chennai: Thousands DMK workers were held across the State today, after they staged protests in front of ration shops, alleging erratic supply of essentials.

Rajya Sabha MP Kanimozhi and legislators J Anbazhagan, Vagai Chandrasekar were among those held in Chennai.

The party leaders claimed that five lakh members were arrested. DMK working president M K Stalin said many were not detained by the police due to lack of vehicles to move them.

Kanimozhi told protesters at Royapettah that the welfare schemes announced by the State government under public distribution system were not reaching the people properly and that was why “we have come to the roads to fight for the people”. Sale of several products was not through the proper channel, she alleged. “Most of shops in the State do not have dal, rice and palmoline oil in a sufficient quantity,” she said, adding that the government was only focussing on TASMAC shops and not ration outlets.