Kallakurichi hooch tragedy: BJP demands CBI probe, resignation of T.N. Prohibition Minister

BJP demands CBI probe into Kallakurichi hooch tragedy in Tamil Nadu, accuses DMK government of shielding illicit liquor trade.

Holding the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) government in Tamil Nadu responsible for the Kallakurichi hooch tragedy, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on June 22 demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into it, and the immediate resignation of the State Prohibition and Excise Minister S. Muthusamy.

At a press conference, BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla accused the State government of shielding those involved in the illicit liquor trade. He said a majority of the victims in Karunapuram belonged to the Scheduled Castes and backward communities, and most of them were young breadwinners of their families.

Terming the deaths a “man-made disaster and State-sponsored murder for which the DMK government is solely responsible”, Mr. Poonawalla alleged that instead of taking action, the State government continued to “shield the villains of this ghastly crime”. In May 2023, 23 lives had been lost because of spurious liquor in Villupuram’s Marakkanam, and in Chengalpattu, he said.

“At that time, the BJP Tamil Nadu leadership had exposed the nexus between DMK leaders and functionaries, and the entire illicit liquor trade that is taking place in Tamil Nadu, but nothing was done...in this case too, in Karunapuram, the entire operation was taking place right in the middle of the town, right next to the court and police station,” Mr. Poonawalla said.

The BJP leader also questioned the silence of Indian National Inclusive, Developmental Alliance (INDIA), including Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, over the issue.

BJP national secretary Anil Antony alleged that after the relatives of some victims had earlier come out in public, the District Collector had, without referring to spurious liquor, said the deaths were due to a “mysterious illness”. This “misinformation” led to more deaths, he alleged. In the 2021 manifesto, the DMK had promised abolition of alcohol step by step, but the Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation’s revenue had been increasing significantly every year, he said. The State’s prohibition policy must be looked into, Mr. Antony said.