A day after Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said the proposal on setting up liquor shops in gram panchayat limits was dropped, Minister of Law and Parliamentary Affairs H.K. Patil on Saturday said setting up more liquor shops was not good for the health of society.
Though liquor shops bring revenue to the State exchequer, the health of society needs priority. “The government should think of reducing the number of liquor shops and not increasing them,” he said.
During COVID-19, Mr. Patil had made a strong pitch for total prohibition in Karnataka to lay the foundation for “a happy, peaceful and joyful society.” He had suggested to the then BJP government to take the “revolutionary step of liquor ban” and build an ideal society free from addiction.
Mr. Siddaramaiah on Friday announced that the government would not grant more licences to set up liquor shops.
‘Streamline system’
Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister and KPCC chief D.K. Shivakumar said there was a need to streamline the system of issuing licences to set liquor shops.
BJP leader and former Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said the Congress government was “confused” on the issue of liquor shops as Mr. Siddaramaiah and Mr. Shivakumar issued “contradictory statements”. “The Deputy Chief Minister opposes all decisions taken by the Chief Minister,” he claimed and blamed the lack of coordination in the government for firm decisions not being taken on any issues related to the public, either liquor shops or release of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu.
When his attention was drawn to Mr. Shivakumar’s reported statement that “people cannot be stopped from drinking”, Mr. Siddaramaiah said in Mysuru that Mr. Shivakumar has not said that new shops will be allowed. “We will see the opinion of the public and decide. According to me, there is no proposal for new licences for liquor shops,” he said.
