TIRUCHY: The Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) state president Nellai Mubarak has appealed to the Tamil Nadu government to declare total prohibition in the State and speed up the caste census.

Speaking to reporters after the state executive meeting of SDPI, the state president Nellai Mubarak pointed out the death of 60 persons in Kallakurichi consuming spurious liquor to press for his demand. “Hooch tragedy is the result of the government’s inefficiency. It exposes how those who brew them get the support of the police,” he charged.

Stating that Tamil Nadu tops in the number of young widows and it keeps growing, Mubarak claimed that more than 30 per cent of deaths take place due to illicit liquor consumption. “It is time for the Tamil Nadu government to declare total prohibition in the state. Meanwhile, Mubarak appealed to the Union government not to commercialise education while the SDPI has also been expressing solidarity to the state government for state autonomy, especially in the field of education.

Mubarak also appealed to the state to fill up vacancies in the government. Reacting to the Chief Minister’s announcement in the Assembly under rule 110 about filling 75,000 vacancies by 2025, the SDPI leader said the number is way higher. “There are more than 5 lakh vacancies in various departments,” he claimed.