Minister: Drinking, smoking basic rights

At a time when the anti-liquor movement is gaining momentum across the country and liquor ban is becoming a major poll issue, Rajasthan’s industry minister has said that drinking is fundamental right of people.

Speaking to the media at BJP headquarters on the sidelines of the public hearing programme, Mr Gajendra Singh Khimsar, a hotelier by profession, said, “Smoking, drinking and eating non-vegetarian food are fundamental rights of the people.”

Mr Khimsar was talking about adverse impact of prohibition. He said that prohibition not only increased liquor smuggling in state where the liquor ban is in force but also encourages spurious liquor. Besides, he said that after liquor ban, the youth took a wrong path and started taking drugs and other means as alternatives. Although, he later clarified that he expressed views from a different perspective. But, the Congress has taken strong exception to Mr Khimsar’s statement.

“The minister’s statement describing drinking as fundamental right is wrong both morally and legally. Article 47 of Directive Principles clearly states that since alcohol is under state control, it is the government’s responsibility to discourage drinking,” the party said.

Although, Mr Khimsar was supported to an extent by his Cabinet colleague Surendra Goyal, who said that liquor is being smuggled to Gujarat from Haryana through Rajasthan but the police don’t act. It is to be noted that there is prohibition in Gujarat imposed when Prime Minister Narendra Modi was chief minister of the state.

However, Mr Khimsar’s statement is politically incorrect at a time when the public mood is against alcohol across the country.

It has become a major political issue and even considered a key contributor to Nitish Kumar’s victory in Bihar last year. So much so that in five poll bound states political parties have included prohibition in their manifesto in attempt to woo women voters who have strong views against liquor as they are the biggest sufferer. Even in Rajasthan, the Congress had made ‘8 PM, No CM’ — a crafty blend of an alcohol brand and the absence of governance after dark — one of its electoral slogans in 2008, a former MLA Gurusharan Chabra had died in November 2015 while on a fast unto death against the sale of alcohol. His daughter-in-law now leading the campaign started by him, has now invited Nitish to lead them. Besides, everyday there is demonstration outside liquor shops at many places. People especially women have been protesting even confronting liquor shop owners and police for closure of shop in their area. Even today, a huge crowd assembled in front of a liquor shop in Jaipur’s Sanjay Bazar and started beating drums forcing the shop owner to shut down.