The Opposition AIADMK- led by former Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswamy staged a day-long hunger strike at Chennai to condemn the DMK Government's failure to take action against bootleggers in the State in the backdrop of the Kallakurichi hooch tragedy that saw 63 tipplers losing their lives.

The AIADMK members were suspended from the Legislative Assembly by the Speaker when they tried to raise the hooch tragedy issue in the House. The Speaker had declared that they would not be allowed to attend the House for the remaining period of the current session.

All those who staged the hunger strike wore black shirts, a customary mark of protest by the Dravidian politicians.

EV Ramasamy Naiker, the founder of the Dravidian movement always preferred black colour which the civilian society consider as inauspicious.

J Jayavardan, former MP, who staged the hunger strike along with Palaniswamy, told media persons that though his party has been alerting the State Government and the chief minister M K Stalin about the rampant bootlegging business and demanded a discussion on the issue, chief minister M K Stalin and the DMK rejected their pleas. "Had the Government listened to us and ordered a crack down on illicit liquor brewing a tragedy of this magnitude woud not have happened," said Jayavardan.

But TKS Elangovan, senior DMK leader, who is a former MP, said that the AIADMK's objective is to create confusion and chaos.

"They need publicity to convince the people that they are still around. The DMK had a detailed discussion in the House while the opposition party wanted to throttle the issue," said Elangovan.

 Karunapuram in Kallakurichi which bore the brunt of the hooch tragedy wears the look of a ghost village with every by lanes and colonies having turned into a major graveyard. "The DMK Government opted to shun our request for a discussion in the House to save their party leaders who have major interest in bootlegging," said another former AIADMK Minister.

 Karunapuram in Kallakurichi which bore the brunt of the hooch tragedy wears the look of a ghost village with every by lanes and colonies having turned into a major graveyard.

“The DMK Government opted to shun our request for a discussion in the House to save their party leaders who have major interest in bootlegging,” said another former AIADMK Minister.