Tamil Nadu's DMK government responsible for deaths due to consumption of spurious liquor: BJP

New Delhi, June 22 (HS). The Bharatiya Janata Party has blamed the state's DMK government for the deaths caused by consuming spurious liquor in Tamil Nadu. The party says that Chief Minister MK Stalin's government is working to protect the illegal liquor mafia.

Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson Shahzad Poonawala has called the death of 53 people a man-made disaster in a press conference. He said that most of the dead are Dalits. He quipped that does life have no value in Tamil Nadu?

The spokesperson asked why the state government is not allowing a CBI inquiry into the deaths caused by spurious liquor. Also, why the prohibition and excise minister has not been removed till now. He said that the DMK government means alcohol, mafia, katta panchayat. Its policy is to do nothing, keep everyone's mouth shut and kill everyone with illegal liquor.

Tamil Nadu government officials on Saturday said the death toll in the Kallakurichi hooch tragedy has risen from 50 to 53. Kallakurichi District Collector MS Prashanth said 140 of the 193 people who consumed the illicit liquor are currently safe.