Nirmala Sitharaman Condemns Tamil Nadu Hooch Tragedy
Union Finance Minister Criticizes Congress
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman condemned the Kallakurichi Hooch tragedy in Tamil Nadu, which claimed 56 lives. She criticized the Congress party for not addressing the incident.
In a conversation, Sitharaman said, “More than 200 people are still in hospital in a critical stage. 56 people have died and most of them are from the scheduled caste… I condemn the incident. I am shocked that the Congress has not uttered a word against this.”
She questioned the availability of illicit liquor despite government-run shops and called for a CBI investigation. “Congress should pay attention to Tamil Nadu and not ignore it just because its alliance partner is running the state,” she added.
The tragedy saw 216 patients admitted to hospitals, with 56 fatalities. The Congress and DMK are allies in Tamil Nadu.
Hospital | Patients Alive | Patients Dead |
---|---|---|
Jipmer, Pondy | 17 | 3 |
Vilupuram Medical College | 4 | 4 |
Kallakurichi Medical College | 108 | 31 |
Salem Medical College | 30 | 18 |