Govt Violating Excise Law: Lok Satta

Lok Satta Party president Dr. Jayaprakash Narayan on Sunday charged the state government with violating the spirit of the Constitution and the letter of the excise law by promoting unbridled liquor consumption through the auction of liquor shops.

The LSP president's speech was released in the form of a statement to mediapersons by the party's office in Hyderabad, as he is currently in the US taking part in a 'Rejuvenate India' campaign.

The statement said that the liquor license fee works out to Rs. 50,000 a day to a dealer who gets it by bidding Rs. 3 crore. To realize the license fee alone, the dealer has to make sales worth Rs. 3,00,000 a day. That is possible only when he or she promotes unauthorized outlets also known as belt shops.

JP said that the government itself is abetting the violation of the excise law by ignoring these illegal liquor outlets. Had there been no opposition from women and civic society organizations, the government would have legalized the illegal outlets by now, he said.

JP added that traditional party workers did not merely distribute liquor to influence voters during elections, but also viewed liquor shops as an investment in politics.

The Lok Satta president rubbished the government's excuse that limiting liquor outlets would lead to illicit distillation of country liquor, by pointing out that if village panchayats and women organizations were empowered they could stamp out illegal outlets and illicit distillation.

He congratulated party workers on protesting against liquor auctions peacefully and constitutionally. Lok Satta activists had undertaken the collection of alms near RTC X roads to mock-demonstrate their resuce efforts of the cash-strapped government. However, the police moved the protesters to the Chikkadapally police station and released them later.

Among the participants in the campaign were leaders V Laxamn Balaji, Dr. Pandurgana Rao, V Rohit Kumar, N Sarojadevi, Mahalakshmi, S Gajanani, Dasari Ratnam, P Sivaji and Mangala.

Balaji and Ratnam told the media that politicians, who till the other day shed crocodile tears over the havoc caused by liquor, vied with one another in bagging liquor licenses.

Courtesy: INN