The AIADMK’s parliamentarians and legislators, led by the party’s general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami, on Tuesday, June 25, 2024 urged Governor R.N. Ravi to report the “failure of the Constitutional machinery” in Tamil Nadu to President Droupadi Murmu in the light of the Kallakurichi hooch tragedy, which has claimed the lives of 59 persons so far.
In a meeting with the Governor at the Raj Bhavan, Chennai, the AIADMK’s MPs and MLAs also wanted Mr. Ravi to ensure this matter was detailed in his report to the President and the Home Ministry.
In his representation to the Governor, Mr. Palaniswami explained the rationale behind the party’s demand for a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the hooch tragedy.
Among those who accompanied Mr Palaniswami were deputy general secretaries K.P. Munusamy and Natham R. Viswanathan,, Villupuram district secretary C. Ve. Shanmugam, former Ministers Dindigul C. Sreenivasan, P. Thangamani, R.B. Udhayakumar and S.P. Velumani.
Pointing out that the DMK government, “in its wisdom,” had revoked permission for the CBI to enquire into the offences committed in the State, Mr. Palaniswami said that it was not as if CBI would be better equipped than another agency to look into the offences that had been committed but “the fact remains [that] the police and all the agencies of the Tamil Nadu police are mere puppets,” in the hands of the present government and as such, there was a need for an “independent enquiry” into the entire incident.
Mr Palaniswami contended that the present tragedy had transcended borders. It was the government’s own stand that the methanol had come into T.N. from Puducherry. “If that is the case, as there are inter-state activities involved, the CBI is better equipped to handle the investigation and the same should be handed over to them,” he added.
Published - June 25, 2024 03:10 pm IST
