Condoling the death of over 35 persons by consuming illicit liquor in Kallakuruchi, Tamil Nadu Opposition leader Edappadi K. Palaniswami demanded the resignation of Chief Minister M.K. Stalin. The Bharatiya Janata Party has also sought intervention from the Centre and demanded a CBI probe in the case.
AIADMK leader Palaniswami visited those undergoing treatment at hospitals in Kallakuruchi on Thursday and enquired about the treatment given to them. Palaniswami told presspersons that DMK strongmen were involved in the sale of illicit liquor in northern districts.
Palaniswami alleged the point of sale of illicit arrack "is the central place of Kallakurichi, close to the police station and court”. He said there is a 'big gang' behind the sale of illicit arrack which also has the involvement of 'powerful persons' who belong to the ruling DMK. "Otherwise, could the sale of illicit arrack happen in the central locality of the town and near the police station?" he asked.
Expressing anguish and recalling similar past incidents, he said his party legislator M. Senthil Kumar (Kallakurichi Assembly constituency) had days ago complained about the menace of illicit arrack to local police. However, no action was taken.
Meanwhile, the BJP State President K. Annamalai also visited the families of the deceased and enquired about the well-being of persons undergoing treatment. The state BJP has announced a relief fund of Rs 1 lakh each to families of the deceased.
In a letter to the union home ministry, the state BJP has urged a CBI probe in the matter. In a letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Annamalai said, “In the past two years, Tamil Nadu has lost over 60 lives to hooch because of the ineffective governance of the DMK government.”
“It is learnt from reliable sources that the production and sale of illicit liquor in Tamil Nadu is happening at the behest of party functionaries and cadres belonging to the DMK, where points of sale of such liquor are located near judicial courts, police stations, and other government offices. The families of the deceased in the Kallakurichi hooch tragedy claim that the sale of illicit liquor happened in the prime areas of the town,” Annamalai said.
The BJP leader charged the sale of illicit liquor is done in full public view with the knowledge of the local police. The former IPS officer demanded CBI probe alleging, “DMK government will curtail the state police from bringing all the persons responsible for the deaths before the court of law.”