The Milita Odisha Nisha Nibaran Abhiyan (MONNA), an anti-liquor body fighting for total prohibition in the State, on Thursday condemned Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s “undemocratic and authoritarian attitude” for avoiding response to its letters during the last one and a half years.
Addressing reporters here, MONNA convener Padma Charan Nayak said the Chief Minister, as a people’s representative, should respond to the letters written to him. “We have written five letters to the Chief Minister since January 25, 2013 for meeting him on the issue of prohibition, but he has not paid heed to our request,” said Nayak.
The body in its six-point charter of demands mentioned that liquor consumption has resulted in more loss in human and moral terms than income from excise tax. “The Government should think an alternative way for revenue generation instead of spreading liquor networks,” said Nayak.
On the second day of the indefinite dharna of the MONNA in front of the State Assembly, seven MlAs of the BJD and the BJP including BJP legislature Party leader Basanta Panda joined the stir. Among others, freedom fighters Purushottam Nayak, Bhabani Charan Patnaik, retired High Court Judge Choudhury PK Mishra, educationist Dr Debi Prasanna Pattanaik and many supporters of anti-liquor movement expressed solidarity with the prohibitionists.