Tirunelveli: Two and a half years after the death of Sasiperumal, the southern districts, particularly Tirunelveli, are once again getting ready for a fight against liquor. Political and social outfits in the district have given a call for mass protests following the death of Dinesh on Wednesday.
Nizam of the MDMK said that his party that continues its struggle against the liquor policy of government will intensify its fight. The MDMK office bearer added that after Sasiperumal’s death, MDMK office bearers recalled the agitation led by Vaiko in his native village. As the government machinery refused to close the liquor shop at Kalingapatti, the villagers themselves ransacked the shop and threw away the liquor bottles.
“We will not let Dinesh’s death go in vain,” says Viyanarasu, state coordinator of Nama Tamilar Katchi that is said to be preparing for a massive agitation in a couple of days in Tirunelveli. Similarly Muslim outfits like the Social Democratic Party of India and Manithaneya Makkal Katchi too have called for agitations against liquor. “We have been in the fight for total prohibition for long and Dinesh’s death should not go unanswered,” said Rafiq.
The Left parties in their condolences to Dinesh’s family, blamed government’s policy on liquor for the death of the medical aspirant. Baskar, district secretary of the CPM blamed the district administration of opening Tasmac retail outlets that were closed for a brief period after the earlier court order.
However, official sources brushed aside the allegations and stated that none of the shops closed by the earlier court order was reopened at the same spot. Official sources added that positively responding to the recent order of the High Court, 35 TASMAC shops were closed in the district within the last three days.
