Kallakurichi hooch tragedy: Edappadi Palaniswami leads AIADMK MLAs’ hunger strike against DMK government

AIADMK legislators led by their general secretary and Leader of Opposition Edappadi K. Palaniswami staged a hunger strike in Chennai on Thursday, June 27, 2024 protesting against the alleged failure of the DMK government in taking appropriate action over the deaths due to illicit liquor in Kallakurichi.

The AIADMK legislators also demanded an investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the deaths due to consumption of hooch. Wearing black shirts at the protest venue near the Rajarathinam stadium in Chennai, they held placards which demanded Chief Minister M.K. Stalin’s resignation over the incident

Senior party functionaries K.P. Munusamy, Dindigul C. Sreenivasan, S.P. Velumani, K.A. Sengottaiyan, R.B. Udhayakumar, Pollachi V. Jayaraman, Agri S.S. Krishnamoorthy, S. Ravi, were among those who participated in the protest against the DMK government. Mr. Palaniswami had on June 24 led a protest at Kallakurichi highlighting the DMK government’s “laxity” over the hooch tragedy.

Later in the day, DMDK general secretary Premallatha Vijayakant joined the hunger strike.

Watch | ‘I didn’t think I’d survive’: Kallakurichi hooch tragedy survivors

A day later, Mr. Palaniswami led a party delegation to the Raj Bhavan on June 25 and submitted a representation to Governor R.N. Ravi urging him to report the alleged “failure of the Constitutional machinery” in Tamil Nadu to President Droupadi Murmu.

The AIADMK legislators have been protesting against the DMK government in the Assembly in connection with the incident since the beginning of the ongoing session on June 20 and were even evicted from the House. On June 26, the Speaker suspended the AIADMK MLAs from the proceedings of the ongoing session scheduled to conclude on June 29.

A few hours after the Speaker announced their suspension, Mr. Palaniswami termed the suspension as “anti-democratic” and announced that his party MLAs would protest against the DMK government on June 27. “The AIADMK’s protest would continue till justice is rendered over the deaths due to illicit liquor,” he had said on June 26.