AIADMK Holds Hunger Strike in Chennai Over Kallakurichi Hooch Tragedy
Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], June 27: Leaders and workers of the AIADMK are on a hunger strike in Chennai, condemning the DMK Government over the Kallakurichi hooch tragedy. They are demanding an inquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the incident, which claimed 63 lives.
AIADMK leader and Leader of Opposition (LoP) Edappadi Palaniswami, along with other senior leaders, are participating in the strike. Since the Assembly Session began, AIADMK has been demanding a CBI inquiry into the illicit liquor tragedy and the resignation of Chief Minister MK Stalin. A resolution was passed on Wednesday to suspend AIADMK for disrupting the assembly proceedings.
Tamil Nadu Speaker M. Appavu ordered the eviction of AIADMK MLAs who disrupted the assembly. The MLAs demanded an adjournment of the Q&A session and continued to raise slogans over the tragedy. Speaker Appavu stated, “Many important issues need to be discussed in the Assembly. The caste census resolution is to be passed. The CM also felt that the Opposition must be part of this. So, the CM intervened and requested not to suspend AIADMK MLAs for the entire session. As per rule 56, AIADMK gave a motion for adjournment. But they are not ready to listen to what I am saying.”
He added, “We never stopped AIADMK leaders from speaking in the assembly. But they should speak at the required time. It is painful to see in a democratic assembly, the AIADMK leaders keep on disrupting the proceedings. If this continues, how will other MLAs speak about their constituency?”
On Wednesday, a three-member delegation of the National Commission for Women (NCW), led by Khushbu Sundar, visited the families of victims who lost their lives by consuming illicit liquor in Tamil Nadu’s Kallakurichi district. The NCW had earlier taken suo motto cognizance of a media report on the deaths and constituted a three-member inquiry committee to look into the matter.
The death toll in the hooch tragedy rose to 63 as per Kallakurichi District Collectorate data on Wednesday evening. Currently, 78 people are undergoing treatment across hospitals in the state, with 48 admitted to the Government Kallakurichi Medical College and Hospital. A total of 88 people have been discharged in Tamil Nadu. The total number of people affected by the consumption of illicit liquor has now increased to 229.
