CM Mamata Banerjee stands by families of victims

Kolkata: Standing by the dozen victims of the hooch tragedy in Nadia, chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday said that the victims had consumed the spurious liquor unknowingly. She also found no faults with the victims’ families to justify her compensation of Rs 2 lakhs to each of them. The Trinamul Congress supremo also expressed shock over the trend among the villagers drinking hooch.

Addressing a programme at Kalna in Burdwan East, she said, “Yesterday’s incident at Shantipur is a very sad incident. Some people have died after consuming spurious liquor. I fail to understand what is the need to drink spurious liquor. Anyway families of those who died have no faults. Even those who consumed it did not have it knowingly. I appeal to all to create a social awareness.”

“The victims’ families have committed no offences and faults. Those who died certainly did not take the drinks knowingly. We are helping their families with a compensation of Rs 2 lakhs for each. We are doing it because we want their families to live well...,” she added.

The chief minister indicated that a section of the state government employees was not performing due to their political affiliations. “How much cooperation has to be extended? I always extend 100 per cent cooperation. We definitely do not want you to lose jobs just because you support the CPI(M) or the Congress or the BJP. But you also have to keep it in mind that you have to serve the people to stay in the job,” she said.