Expressing his views on the protests being undertaken especially by women against the sale of liquor, the Uttarakhand Pradesh Congress Committee president Kishore Upadhyay has opined that the Bharatiya Janata Party state government is not at all serious about prohibition on liquor. He averred that the state government is not serious about the protests being undertaken by the women in the state.
Upadhyay stated, “For more than a month now, the women have been protesting against liquor at the block level but it is unfortunate that the BJP government is not taking any cognisance of this issue. Under the influence of the liquor mafia, the state government wants to stifle the protest movement being undertaken by the women of the state,” he alleged.
The PCC president further alleged that the state-wide protest movement is being undertaken due to the improper excise policy of the state government. It would have been better if the state government could talk with the protesters, find a way and work towards prohibition on liquor. Upadhyay recalled that when the BJP was in the opposition, it had repeatedly leveled allegations at the Congress-led state government regarding its excise policy. However, even after being elected with a strong mandate, the BJP government has bowed down to pressure from the liquor mafia and forgotten the promises it had made, he alleged. Upadhyay further said that the BJP had promise the people of Uttarakhand that if elected to govern, it would enforce a complete ban on intoxicants in the state. However, the party has gone back on its promise after forming Government in the state, he added, while also accusing the BJP of maintaining double standards. The BJP had talked in its vision document about an alcohol-free Uttarakhand. Considering the protests and other factors, the time has now come to enforce a complete prohibition on liquor in the State, opined the PCC president.