KALLAKURICHI: AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami on Monday said the DMK government was fully responsible for the Kallakurichi hooch deaths and reiterated his demand for a CBI probe.
In a protest held at Salem Road, Kallakurichi, Palaniswami said, “Poor people are dying because the government has failed to control the sale of illicit liquor and drugs in the state. Despite CM MK Stalin conducting meetings with officials and announcing severe action, all kinds of drugs and illicit liquor are being sold. In Kallakurichi, hooch was sold near the police station and court. Officials are controlled by rulers, and with the ruling party’s support, hooch is sold in the centre of the town.”
Justifying his demand for a CBI probe, Palaniswami said the AIADMK is staging protest because people involved in this crime are influential and a police inquiry or one-man commission probe cannot bring the culprits to book.
“We were stopped in the Assembly when we tried to raise the issue, and we have also been accused of disrupting the House. The Collector lied under government pressure. Had he told the truth earlier, more lives could have been saved. If proper action had been taken following the Marakkanam and Chengalpattu hooch tragedies last year, this tragedy would not have occurred,” Palaniswami said.
In Villupuram, permission was denied for the protest due to the model code of conduct being in place for the Vikravandi by-election. In Cuddalore, police initially refused permission for the protest and cleared a stage set up for the purpose. The protest was later held near the post office under former minister MC Sampath.