AIADMK holds hunger strike over hooch tragedy DMDK lends support

    Chennai, Jun 27 (PTI) The opposition AIADMK in Tamil Nadu held a hunger strike here on Thursday to press for a CBI probe into the Kallakurichi hooch tragedy and received the support of other parties including the Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK).

     DMDK chief Premalatha Vijayakanth visited the venue of the protest, Rajarathinam Stadium at downtown Egmore and lent her party's support to the fast. Under AIADMK chief Edappadi K Palaniswami's leadership, party MLAs, functionaries and scores of workers participated in the hunger strike.

    Also, in a first, actor-politician Seeman-led NTK extended full support to AIADMK's fast, which appears to have opened up avenues for similar, future cooperation among opposition to take on the ruling DMK. Smaller outfits including Republican Party of India (RPI) backed the AIADMK's protest over the hooch tragedy.

    The deaths due to illicit arrack consumption has so far claimed 63 lives.

    Clad in black shirts, the AIADMK legislators, who have been suspended from the ongoing Assembly session for disrupting proceedings, held the hunger strike from 9 am to 5 pm. The assembly session will end on June 29.

    Besides seeking Chief Minister M K Stalin's resignation, the fast was also held to condemn 'denial of permission' to raise the issue in the state Assembly.

    DMK leader and Minister K N Nehru said Palaniswami approached the Supreme Court years ago against a High Court ruling directing CBI probe into highway tender irregularities and also created hurdles for the central agency probe into late CM J Jayalalithaa's death. Now, he is seeking a CBI investigation.

    His demand for CM Stalin's resignation is a diversionary tactic as he has lost people's faith and is facing continuous electoral drubbing, Nehru said in a statement.

    Senior AIADMK leaders including Tamil Magan Hussein, former Ministers SP Velumani, KP Munsamy, Dindigul C Srinivasan, D Jayakumar and others took part. Hussein offered juice to Palaniswami, marking the conclusion of the hunger strike.

    Addressing party workers before ending the fast, Palaniswami decried alleged denial of opportunity and eviction of his party MLAs in the assembly over hooch deaths.

     Stalin, however, has spoken in the House over the Kallakurichi incident.

    "Is this fair," Palaniswami asked. "The identity of a good government is to allow the Opposition to speak and then address issues."

    During the past three years of DMK rule, the AIADMK is getting only about '15 minutes' to speak on Demand for Grants and 'live telecast' is also not facilitated, he claimed. During his party regime, then main opposition DMK was allotted about 40 minutes to speak on subjects.

    On the hooch tragedy, he said he had been time and again highlighting the deterioration of law and order, the menace of 'drugs' and illicit arrack. Appeals to the government on the matter fell on deaf ears. "That is why so many lives have been lost in Kallakurichi."

    The leader of opposition said he has been talking on such matters in the House and during his interaction with journalists as well.

    Dubbing the CB-CID probe over similar hooch deaths last year in Chengalpet and Marakkanam (Villupuram) a 'failure,' he said the CM has again handed over Kallakurichi deaths to the CB-CID.

    "Had appropriate action been taken (after the 2023 illicit arrack issue), sale of methanol could have been stopped."

    Alleging nexus between some officials and persons involved in illicit arrack sale, he wondered if a fair investigation is possible by the CBCID. "That is why we demand a CBI probe." Since the DMK government rejected that demand, the AIADMK has approached Madras High Court over the matter.

    He took a swipe at Stalin for his remark that AIADMK was disrupting House proceedings.

    Speaking to reporters, he said even though 63 people have lost their lives due to illicit arrack, the allies of the ruling DMK did not raise their voice to end such incidents and to bring to book the real culprits behind the tragedy. DMK's allies include Congress and the Left parties.

    "This is regretful. The alliance is electoral and it is over with the elections. They run separate parties and based on the specific issue, they should have echoed the people's voice. They have not done that."

    He thanked NTK's chief coordinator Seeman for extending his party's support to the hunger strike. Also, he thanked others like RPI.

    Premalatha, speaking to reporters at the venue of the fast, backed AIADMK's demand for CBI probe and also demanded that Minister for Prohibition and Excise, S Muthusamy resign from his post to do justice.
    Denouncing suspension of AIADMK MLAs, she demanded that the government specify the norms violated by the opposition party members."Where could the Kallakurichi tragedy be discussed other than the Assembly," she asked.

    Referring to Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi's comment in Lok Sabha that he is confident that "you (Speaker) will allow us to represent our voice, allow us to speak, to represent voice of people of India," and support of DMK MPs for that, she asked how could there exist one kind of rule for the Parliament and another for the state Assembly.

    She alleged the DMK regime did not allow opposition to raise issues in the state Assembly but it is for the opposition's voice to be heard in Parliament. She also recjected Stalin's allegation that the AIADMK disrupted proceedings for the sake of publicity.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)