Maharashtra's only Congress MP questions liquor ban

Mumbai: The only Congress MP who won the 2019 Lok Sabha polls from Maharashtra Saturday questioned why only Chandrapur district had a liquor ban and not the entire state.

Suresh Narayan Dhanorkar defeated Union minister of state for home Hansraj Ahir from Chandrapur in the just concluded Lok Sabha polls.  

Speaking to the media, Mr Dhanorkar alleged that Maharashtra finance minister Sudhir Mungantiwar imposed the liquor ban in Chandrapur only to appease the people in his Assembly constituency.

“A lot of people lost employment. It has not been implemented properly, terms and conditions have not been followed by the state, and a huge illegal trade in liquor has mushroomed. The state is losing revenue,” he claimed.

“BJP is in power in the state and country. Why don’t they ban liquor all across Maharashtra,” he asked. Since January 2015, the state cabinet had taken the decision of banning liquor in the Chandrapur district.

Mr Mungantiwar had promised in the 2014 Assembly election poll that he will ban liquor in Chandrapur. There was a liquor ban in Wardha and Gadchiroli districts but there was no ban in Chandrapur district.  

Social activist Abhay Bang claimed that Chandrapur district had the highest liquor sales and sought a ban on liquor. The state government then responded and declared a liquor ban in Chandrapur.

The state government was losing Rs 200 crores in revenue every year due to the liquor ban in Chandrapur district.

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