The hooch tragedy, which has claimed over 100 lives in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, has snowballed into a controversy with Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath recalling the hand of Samajwadi Party in “such mischievous acts” and Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati demanding a CBI probe into the matter. 

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, warned of stern action against all those found involved in illicit liquor trade even if they were associated with any political party.

“In the past also, such type of mischievous acts by SP leaders had come to fore. In Azamgarh, Hardoi, Kanpur and Barabanki, the SP leaders were found to be involved in hooch tragedies. We cannot deny conspiracy this time also,” he said in Gorakhpur on Sunday.

Yogi said he had spoken to his Uttarakhand counterpart Trivendra Singh Rawat and had asked him to share details as the spurious liquor was served to the natives of Uttar Pradesh in a Roorkee village.

“A racket of spurious liquor is being operated in Uttarakhand. Therefore, I have spoken to the Chief Minister and sought details,” he said.

The Chief Minister said action had been taken against excise officer, excise inspector, station house officers and beat constables in Saharanpur and Kushinagar districts of UP.

However, Samajwadi party president Akhilesh Yadav   held the BJP government responsible for the tragedy. “People have died in two states and Bharatiya Janata Party is in power in both these states. If anyone is responsible, it is the BJP. The government should give Rs 20 lakh each to the families of the deceased without any discrimination,” the SP chief said.

Hitting out at the BJP government for the deaths in the hooch tragedy, the SP chief said the opposition had been pointing to the illicit liquor trade but the government did not act as some of its leaders were involved in it.

“The truth is that without the backing of the government, such activities cannot be carried out anywhere. The BJP should accept the fact that it cannot run the state,” he said.

The BSP also blamed the BJP governments in UP and Uttarakhand for the deaths in the hooch tragedy.

Mayawati, in a statement, said that both the state governments were “callous” in their approach towards banning sale of spurious liquor and demanded a CBI probe into the tragedy.

She said till the CBI probe was completed, the Excise ministers of both the states should be asked to step down to ensure free and fair inquiry.

Mayawati said bootleggers were running a parallel administration right under the nose of the authorities and selling spurious liquor.

Over 100 people have died in the hooch tragedy that hit the adjoining districts of Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh with people dying after consuming spurious liquor in a Haridwar village.

In an unrelated incident, nine people died over the week in eastern Uttar Pradesh’s Kushinagar district, allegedly after drinking spurious liquor.