'Exceeded their limits': Kamal Haasan blames hooch tragedy victims, BJP hits back

NEW DELHI: Veteran actor and Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) party chief Kamal Haasan, after visiting victims of the recent Tamil Nadu Hooch tragedy, urged them to understand the risks of excessive drinking and called for the establishment of psychiatric centers to provide counseling.
Haasan said, "These victims will have to understand they have exceeded their limit and they have been careless.They have to be careful. They have to take care of their health. My request to government would be to create psychiatric centres which will counsel them. It has to be occasional drinking, social drinking if at all. But they must understand that exceeding limit in any form be it sugar or anything is bad."
Haasan's comments were met with sharp criticism from BJP leader Amit Malviya, who accused him of blaming the victims rather than addressing the issue of illicit liquor in Tamil Nadu. Malviya in his X post said, "Kamal Haasan is actually blaming the victims of Hooch tragedy instead of holding the MK Stalin Govt responsible for the illicit liquor, which is freely available in Tamil Nadu. One has to be depraved to make such an outrageous comment. But then what can one expect from INDI Alliance?"

The controversy comes in the wake of an incident which led to the death of 47 people after consuming methanol-mixed poisonous illicit liquor in Kallakurichi, Tamil Nadu on June 19 and to several fatalities and hospitalizations.