Cong tears apart liquor policy
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, October 20 2022: The Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) has rejected the State Government's vindication of lifting prohibition on liquor in the State as a hogwash.

Speaking to media persons at Congress Bhavan here today, MPCC vice-president Hareshwar Goswami remarked that September 20 on which the State Cabinet resolved to partially lift the Manipur Liquor Prohibition Act, 1991 can be seen as a black day if one takes into account the State's decades long fight against alcoholism and drug abuse.

The anti-liquor movement started at Kakching after a woman who went to call her husband from a liquor joint was physically assaulted by the vendors on December 30, 1975 .

Following incidents of murder and immolation of women by their own husbands who were alcoholics at Imphal areas, the Nupi Samaj called a State-wide bandh on April 2, 1980 and launched a sustained movement against abuse of liquor, Hareshwar said.

Subsequently, the State Government headed by Chief Minister RK Ranbir passed the Manipur Liquor Prohibition Act 1991 and liquor was prohibited in the State, he recalled.

With little regard for the sustained anti-liquor movement spearheaded by womenfolk, the State Cabinet recently adopted a decision to legalise liquor in the State.

The particular Cabinet decision was driven by an intention to earn revenue and it has nothing to do with public health concerns, the MPCC vice-president said.

When the Manipur Liquor Prohibition 2nd Amendment Bill was tabled in the State Assembly in 2018, the BJP Government asserted that the State could earn Rs 352 crore annually from liquor taxes.

The Government reiterated the same point when the Bill's Select Committee tabled its report.

Given these antecedents, the Government's claim that legalisation of liquor has nothing to do with earning revenue is totally false, Hareshwar said.

Further, the draft Manipur Liquor Regulation Policy produced by the State Government mentions that legalisation of liquor is aimed at generating employment and introduction of new welfare schemes for youth and women, he pointed out.

When the Congress party was in power, several welfare schemes were launched for women and children but not by legalising liquor, the MCC vice-president asserted.

Quoting a WHO report, Hareshwar said that alcohol kills around 3 lakh people in a year.

In the wake of the stiff opposition raised by many sections of the people against the move to legalise liquor, the Government brought out many issues which they neglected till recently just to divert public attention, he said.

While working consistently to ban beef in the country, BJP has been scheming to ensure accessibility of liquor to all the people, he said.

Reacting to the claims of BJP Ministers and MLAs that there is no place on earth where liquor is still prohibited, Hareshwar asserted that prohibition is still in force in different places of the world including many States of the USA.

Maintaining that there is no money in the State's exchequer and the Government is unable to pay employees' arrears and pensioners' pension, the MPCC vice-president asserted that the Government took up the initiative to legalise liquor so as to meet these financial requirements out of the revenue earned from legalising liquor.

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