Amendment to new excise policy demanded

Vijayawada : Lambasting the state government for its new excise policy which paves way to earn more money to the government and offering liquor at low prices to people, several women’s organisations staged a protest at Lenin Centre here on Wednesday on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti.

Members of National Federation of Indian Women (NFIW), All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA), Progressive Organisation of Women (POW) and AP Mahila Congress participated in the protest demonstration.

Former Minister and Ryot Sangham leader Vadde Sobhanadreeswara Rao, Mayor Rayana Bhagyalakshmi, and representatives of various organisations also participated and extended solidarity to the protest. They demanded amendment to the new Excise policy and the government should run the liquor outlets.

Vadde Sobhanadreeswara Rao said that the state government which had utterly failed to implement the assurances given at the time of elections, is trying to keep the people intoxicated with its Excise policy that too on the birth anniversary of Gandhi. CPI national council executive member Akkineni Vanaja flayed the chief minister for misleading people with his Laddu politics forgetting the promise to provide good governance.

Socialist leader VV Krishna Rao recalled that total prohibition was implemented in Bihar when the National Front was in power there. “It is shameful that liquor income was the major revenue for the governments,” he lamented.

Mahila Congress leader Sunkara Padmasri, AIDWA general secretary D Rama Devi, AP Mahila Samakhya state general secretary Penmatsa Durga Bhavani, POW secretary P Padma denounced the move of the government to increase the number of shops to 2,600 and to give liquor licenses to private persons to earn Rs 2,000 crore through license fee. They flayed the government for misleading the youth with the Excise policy. They wondered whether the quality liquor would not harm the health of the people and also would not cause violence against women.

The government should undertake propaganda against the liquor consumption and prohibition should be implemented in phases, they demanded.

They demanded an appointment with the chief minister and the Excise minister to discuss the new Excise policy before its implementation. They warned the government they would launch a massive agitation if the government did not take the decision by October 15.

They demanded that the government should pay compensation to the families of the persons who were addicted to liquor and lost their lives, Dry Day should be implemented like in the past, the drunkards should be treated at de-addiction centres.

The liquor shops should be run by the government and the timings should be between 11 am and 8 pm.

Mahila Samakhya vice-president Panchadarla Durgamba, CITU leader V Umamaheswara Rao, Sramika Mahila Sangham leader Subbaramamma, AITUC leader R Ravindranath, Ryot Sangham leader Y Kesava Rao, Tenant farmers Association leader P Jamalaiah, Arasaram leader M Arun Kumar, former corporators Sri Devi, Adilakshmi and Saroja and the students leaders participated.