Relatives grieving over the deaths in the hooch tragedy at Karunapuram in Kallakurichi town.
| Photo Credit: KUMAR SS
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Jagat Prakash Nadda on Monday wrote to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge questioning the “stoic silence” of his party on the Kallakurichi hooch tragedy in Tamil Nadu, in which most of the victims were from the Scheduled Caste community.
The BJP president urged Mr. Kharge to pursue Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra to either pay a visit to the victims’ families or raise their voice on the issue.
“Certain issues require us to rise above and beyond party lines and the welfare and safety of the SC/ST community is one such issue. Today, it is time to truly walk the talk on ‘Nyay’ (justice) and not reduce it to a catchy campaign slogan, deployed for the launch of a failed political dynast,” he said.
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Stating that the people of Tamil Nadu, as also the entire SC community, were witnessing the “doublespeak” of the Congress, particularly Mr. Gandhi, and other leaders of the Indian National Developmental, Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc, Mr. Nadda said: “Suddenly, all the sanctimonious preachings of Rahul Gandhi about the Constitution and ensuring the welfare and rights of SC/OBC community have stopped.”
The BJP being a “sensitive party” had extended condolences and sympathies to the people of Tamil Nadu and also were providing all possible support to every distraught family, he said.
Calling it a “man-made disaster”, the BJP chief said “perhaps if the deep nexus between the running DMK-INDI Alliance dispensation and illicit liquor mafia did not exist, today 56 (later the toll rose to 57) lives could have been saved”. He said in May 2023 when 23 people died due to illicit liquor in Villupuram and Chengalpattu, the BJP had cautioned the DMK government of complicity and nexus between their functionaries and the illicit liquor mafia.
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The letter said in the present case too, media and investigative reports so far had indicated that the illicit liquor business allegedly had patronage from the State and the police.
Mr. Nadda accused Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin of stalling “a free, fair, and independent, probe” by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the deaths and not allowing the Opposition to raise the issue in and outside the State Assembly. He reiterated the BJP’s demand for the removal of State Minister for Excise and Prohibition S. Muthusamy and increase of the compensation to the victims’ families.
“We invite you to join our leaders for a black-band protest against this State-sponsored disaster in front of the statue of Mahatma Gandhi inside the Prerna Sthal within the Parliament precincts,” the letter said.
