We’ll submit a complaint to Governor, stage a massive protest: Annamalai

BJP delegation to Tamil Nadu Governor over spurious liquor deaths, links to DMK, and protests against government.

A BJP delegation will submit a complaint to Tamil Nadu Governor R.N. Ravi on Monday over the deaths due to the consumption of spurious liquor in Kallakurichi district, BJP State president K. Annamalai said on Saturday.

The delegation will also submit a paper on the links between the DMK and those brewing the spurious liquor, Mr. Annamalai added. After meeting the party cadre who were arrested and detained at marriage halls in the city on Saturday for protesting against the DMK government for the tragedy, he told mediapersons that the deaths were “a murder by the State government”. The people who died were all daily-wage labourers and mostly belonged to the SC, ST, and OBC communities. They consumed illicit arrack made in Kallakurichi as they were unable to afford the liquor sold at Tasmac outlets, he added.

Chief Minister M.K. Stalin and Minister for Prohibition S. Muthusamy should take moral responsibility for the deaths. The Chief Minister should have visited Kallakurichi and held a review meeting there. But he did not do so as the people of Kallakurichi would not allow him to enter the district, he said.

Last year, Mr. Stalin had said weekly monitoring committee meetings would be held to curb brewing of spurious liquor. How many meetings had been held and what was the action taken, the BJP leader asked.

On Saturday, over 600 people, led by BJP State general secretary A.P. Muruganandam, raised slogans against the government and condemned its failure to put an end to the sale of spurious liquor in Coimbatore. About 280 BJP workers were arrested in Tiruppur when they attempted to stage a protest. As they went ahead with their protest near the Kumaran Statue, despite denial of police permission, they were arrested by the police and lodged at a marriage hall. In Chennai, nearly 500 BJP workers were arrested.

Mr. Annamalai told The Hindu that the denial of permission for the protests and the arrests on Saturday showed the dictatorial attitude of the DMK government. “It clearly shows that the DMK has everything to hide,” he said.

The BJP workers across the State presented proper letters on Friday, seeking venue for the protests. All district headquarters have places earmarked for protests. But the police denied approval. They had been arresting the BJP workers since Saturday morning “arbitrarily” and detaining them in marriage halls. “The BJP will go to the High Court, take its order overruling the denial of permission by the police, and stage a massive protest soon,” he said.