Former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Umar Bharti has once again written a letter to Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan regarding liquor policy. In her letter, the senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader pointed out that she along with others were to be consulted by the government before framing a new liquor policy, but that hasn't been done since.
Uma Bharti also gave six suggestions as to how the liquor policy should be framed. These are- Drinking in public must be prohibited, Liquor shops should be one kilometre away from all educational institutions, No liquor shops should operate within a half-kilometer radius of religious places, Liquor shops should be outside a one-kilometer radius of hospitals, courts, and bus stops, Big hoardings on the harmful effects of drinking and smoking outside liquor shops and elsewhere, and Drinking should be prohibited on the premises of liquor shops.
Earlier in October, she stated that she would impose such conditions on the liquor ban within the next six months to a year that all officials and the administration would be terrified.
"Bhay bin preet na hoye (No love without fear)," Bharti said, adding, "It may happen next time that if I come, the liquor shops will get closed. I don't want shops to close on my arrival and open after my departure. I want a decision or policy to be made that these shops are shut permanently. It does not mean that I consider myself a Tees Maar Khan [someone who considers him/herself to be the smartest and most cunning person]. I actually wanted to be a 60 Maar Khan (double one)," she added.