The Bharatiya Janata Party state chief and leader of opposition in the Vidhan Sabha, Ajay Bhatt has maintained his stance rejecting the allegation leveled on him for making a purportedly derogatory statement.
However, many, including Congress supporters do acknowledge that alarming rise in quantity of liquor consumption and the geographical and social expansion of liquor culture is a cause for major concern in Uttarakhand.
It should be mentioned here that as per the allegation being leveled, Bhatt is purported to have referred to the trend of alcohol consumption among members of the priestly fraternity. The BJP State chief has been strongly rejecting the allegation, describing it as a conspiracy being orchestrated by the Congress party in desperation to divert the focus of the public away from major issues and shortcomings during the term of the Congress-led State Government.
Observers point out that even before creation of Uttarakhand state in the year 2000, various public movements in different parts of the state had also focused prominently on bootlegging and the liquor-lobby against the ill-effects of liquor consumption and alarming rise in the number of alcoholics and the spreading nexus of supply and sale of both country liquor and Indian Made Foreign liquor with criminal elements often taking control of the trade in the mountainous regions and both urban and rural areas on the plains.
A considerable number of instances can be cited wherein the locals, especially women, have come out strongly against the presence and thriving business of brewing and sale of liquor. The detrimental effect of the liquor culture fueled by allegedly criminal elements purportedly aided by corrupt officials and politicians were strongly opposed for different reasons by the public.
In Dehradun, locals have protested against licensed liquor shops in different localities of the city citing problems like eve-teasing and other objectionable activities of liquor consumers in public space near liquor outlets, which are also known to be major factors causing traffic congestion in prominent places in the State capital.
In the mountainous regions too, there have been several instances of local residents, especially the women staging protest demonstrations against the opening and operation of licensed liquor outlets. In recent months, with formation of new regional political outfits especially in the mountainous regions, politicians from different parties have alluded to possibility of declaring a complete ban on alcohol in the state. Apart from being a major public health and socio-cultural issue, the anomalies in liquor trade and consumption patterns have also elicited focus on corruption in the liquor trade which has also become a major source of revenue in recent years.
Observers point out that the state’s excise-liquor policy has often elicited opposition and controversy due to an alleged nexus involving liquor barons, politicians, public servants down to the licensed liquor shops where overpricing is a common complaint.
The BJP and other political and public bodies have on more than one occasion, accused the state government of major corruption in the liquor trade.
Among the various electoral issues raised in Uttarakhand, liquor culture is expected to be one of the major issues of both the national parties apart from the regional parties for the 2017 Vidhan Sabha election.
