DMK shielding culprits of TN hooch tragedy: BJP

Several people died after consuming spurious liquor in Tamil Nadu's Kallakurichi while many are undergoing treatment at local hospitals. Addressing a press conference here, Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla described the deaths as "state-sponsored murder" and held the ruling DMK in the southern state "solely responsible" for the tragedy.

"So far, 53 individuals have died and a majority of them belonged to the Scheduled Castes. Instead of taking action on this state-sponsored murder, the DMK continues to shield the villains of this ghastly crime," Poonawalla said.

Referring to similar incidents in the state in the past, he alleged that there is a nexus between the liquor mafia and DMK leaders and demanded a CBI probe into it.

Poonawalla also said the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) should take suo-motu cognisance of the incident and issue notices to the Tamil Nadu government and state police chief, asking who is responsible for the deaths.

"The BJP demands the immediate resignation of Tamil Nadu Prohibition and Excise Minister Muthusamy for an impartial investigation into the incident," he said, asking why Chief Minister M K Stalin is not handing over the probe to the CBI. Poonawalla also targeted the Congress and other constituents of the INDIA bloc over their "silence" on the issue.

"(Congress leaders) Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who spoke about Dalits and south India umpteen number of times during the (Lok Sabha) election, have not uttered a word on this issue. This means their concern for south India and the members of the Scheduled Castes is cosmetic," he said.

Another BJP spokesperson, Anil Antony, also slammed the DMK and the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) over the hooch tragedy, alleging that the response and actions of the Tamil Nadu government are "lackadaisical" and indicate "a clear collusion" of the state authority with the liquor mafia.