BJP Leader Anil Antony Accuses Tamil Nadu Government of Protecting Liquor Mafia

BJP leader Anil Antony has accused the Tamil Nadu government of shielding those responsible for the spurious liquor tragedy that resulted in 66 deaths and over 150 hospitalizations. An NDA delegation, including BJP leaders Anil Antony, Arvind Menon, and MP GK Vasan, met with National Commission for Scheduled Castes Chairman Kishore Makwana to submit a memorandum regarding the incident.

Speaking about the meeting, Anil Antony said, “Today we met Kishor Makwana, Chairperson of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes, and we gave a representation to him. We were requesting him to act on the issues in Tamil Nadu that have led to the death of almost 66 people and the hospitalization of over 150 people. Most of the victims in Tamil Nadu in the current tragedy, which is because of the consumption of spurious alcohol, most of them are from the SC community, the Dalit community. Most of them are daily wages. And these are recurring issues that are happening in the state of Tamil Nadu.”

He further added, “This is happening because of an unholy nexus between the Tamil Nadu government and a liquor mafia which is very, very strong in the state of Tamil Nadu. Even after this incident, despite a lot of pressure, the state government is trying to protect the perpetrators…We have been assured that adequate steps will be taken.”

Meanwhile, National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) Chairman Kishore Makwana met the families of the hooch tragedy victims in the Karunapuram area and criticized the Tamil Nadu government for not taking action against the manufacture and sale of illicit liquor in the state.

The death toll in the hooch tragedy in Tamil Nadu’s Kallakurichi district reached 63, with 78 people still undergoing treatment across various hospitals. The National Commission for Women, led by Khushbu Sundar, also visited the victims’ families to investigate the incident.