CHENNAI: DMDK General Secretary Premalatha Vijayakanth on Thursday met the AIADMK members who are conducting a hunger strike in Chennai. Led by Edappadi K Palaniswami, the party members have been protesting against the ruling DMK government over the Kallakurichi hooch tragedy which has resulted in 63 deaths so far. They have also demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the incident.
After meeting Edappadi, Premalatha addressed the media and emphasized that the Kallakurichi issue must be discussed in the Assembly
"Where else should the Kallakurichi issue be discussed if not in the Assembly," she asked.
Accusing the DMK government of barring discussions on the incident in the Assembly, she asserted that only a CBI investigation would uncover the truth. The DMDK leader also demanded that state excise minister S Muthusamy take moral responsibility for the incident and resign.
She recalled that newly-chosen Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi had urged for allowing opposition members to speak in the House to point out the inconsistency in the behaviour of the DMK members who had supported Rahul's request by banging on the table in the Parliament but were silencing AIADMK members in the Tamil Nadu Assembly. She questioned, "Is there one justice for Parliament and another for the Assembly?"
Premalatha also announced that the DMDK would meet Governor RN Ravi on Friday to discuss the Kallakurichi issue.
She also sought to know why Chief Minister M K Stalin has not visited Kallakurichi and met the affected families.
"He (Mr Stalin as the Chief Minister) should have been the first to visit Kallakurichi", she said.
Premalatha blamed the DMK government for both the incidents and said people were watching it. The government was only thinking of elections and not caring for the people. "The DMK regime would be defeated in the 2026 Assembly polls and the alliance led by Mr Palaniswami would record a massive victory and the AIADMK would come to power", she added.
The AIADMK's fast on Thursday near the Rajarathinam Stadium in Egmore, Chennai, saw participation from 61 AIADMK MLAs, all wearing black shirts as a symbol of protest.
The strike, which began in the morning, is set to continue until 5 PM, with several restrictions imposed by the police in and around the area.
(With inputs from PTI)