The new liquor policy in Madhya Pradesh has emerged as a fresh bone of contention between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and the opposition Congress as the latter is extending support to Uma Bharti to put Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan in a tight spot.
Bharti has announced a campaign to seek liquor ban in Madhya Pradesh in contrast to the government’s preparations to boost liquor supplies in the State, in order to ramp up revenues as well as to counter the menace of the flourishing liquor mafia.
Ahead of the financial year close, the BJP government is set to revise the liquor policy and proposed amendments, including increasing the number of liquor outlets, ending cartelisation in the sector and initiating online sale of the liquor.
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Revamping excise policy is imperative for the government as revenues are plummeting after Covid 19, given the fact that excise proceeds are the backbone of the State exchequer.
Meanwhile, former chief minister Uma Bharti had announced that she would go ahead with a campaign to ban liquor in the State from March onwards. She also cited the fact that during the lockdown when liquor shops were closed for months, no one died of liquor shortage.
Meanwhile, the Congress party which itself had made efforts to boost liquor revenues during its tenure, was quick to back Bharti and her liquor ban campaign.
Former minister PC Sharma on Sunday had lauded Bharti’s views urging Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan to exhibit courage and impose liquor ban in Madhya Pradesh.
Saying that the poor people were falling prey to liquor and other kinds of addictions, Sharma had demanded that the BJP government should announce a liquor ban in the State on Gandhi Jayanti.
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Meanwhile, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan is unnerved with the campaign and said, “We wish to make Madhya Pradesh a liquor-free state.” However, he put a rider by saying that merely a liquor ban won’t do but a social campaign is required to fight this menace.
“If there are consumers, liquor will keep getting supplied,” said the Chief Minister at a public meeting.
His cabinet colleague Vishwas Sarang had elaborated his government‘s stand on Sunday, saying Uma Bharti is talking about a social campaign but the Congress party was misquoting her.
“Our party has always been talking about de-addiction, which was the reason de-addiction was in the midst of Narmada parikrama in the past,” he added.
“Congress reserves no right to speak of de-addiction as Kamal Nath himself had served liquor to actor Salman Khan and Jaqueline Fernandez during an award function in Indore,” claimed Sarang.
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