AIADMK general secretary, Edappadi K. Palaniswami, enquiring about the health of a patient from Karunapuram admitted in the Kallakurichi Government Medical College and Hospital on June 20, 2024
| Photo Credit: S.S. KUMAR
AIADMK general secretary and Leader of the Opposition Edappadi K. Palaniswami on Thursday said Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin should resign, taking moral responsibility for the death of at least 39 persons after consuming spurious liquor at Karunapuram in Kallakurichi district.
Speaking to media persons after visiting the victims at the Kallakurichi Government Medical College and Hospital, he said, “The loss of valuable lives shows the administrative incompetence of the DMK government headed by Mr. Stalin. Taking moral responsibility for the deaths, Mr. Stalin should resign.”
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Mr. Palaniswami said that after the hooch tragedy in Chengalpattu and Villupuram districts last year, in which at least 22 persons died, “I warned the government about the production and sale of illicit liquor in the State and urged the Chief Minister to curb the menace with an iron hand. However, the government failed to do so.” He also alleged that there had been no progress in the CB-CID probe into the spurious liquor deaths in Villupuram and Chengalpattu. The police had failed to bring the accused to book, he said.
The AIADMK leader claimed that Kallakurichi MLA M. Senthilkumar had alerted the Superintendent of Police, a few days ago, to the sale of illicit liquor in the town. However, the police did not act. “None of the government hospitals in Tamil Nadu has medicines to treat those who consumed spurious liquor. A big gang is behind the production and sale of spurious liquor, with the connivance of some ruling party members,” he alleged.
He demanded that the government increase the solatium to the families of the dead from ₹10 lakh to ₹25 lakh. The AIADMK would bear the educational expense of the three children who lost their parents, he added.
