MP: Liquor prohibition needed, but must not be enforced in haste, says Vijayvargiya

Liquor prohibition must take place in Madhya Pradesh but it should be implemented after proper study and not in haste, BJP national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya said on Friday.

The issue of prohibition is assuming importance as a topic of political discussion in the state with former CM and senior BJP leader Uma Bharti coming out in support of such a move while the state government, on the other hand, recently unveiled an excise policy for 2022-23 which has several measures to boost revenue from sale of alcohol.

“Liquor should be banned but there is also need to study it. In our state, liquor or toddy is associated with the culture and religious rituals of our nearly 23 per cent tribal population. The results will not be good if it is enforced in haste,” Vijayvargiya told reporters.

He also refused to comment on Bharti recently leading a group of people to a liquor vend and pelting a stone at its shelves lined with liquor bottles.

He was speaking at a press conference to announce the organisation of the National Pitthu (Sitolia) Tournament to be held in Bhopal from March 28 to April 1, in which 30 teams from across the country will take part.

The BJP leader said even Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his Mann ki Baat programme, has spoken about promoting traditional sports as they dont require much paraphernalia for organising.

Replying to a query on not having contested a poll since 2013 and whether he would do so in the future, Vijayvargiya said he left such decisions to the party leadership.

Asked whether there was a chance of a new leadership in MP as some segments have been speaking about new entrant and Union civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, he said the party had not taken any decision on this.

“Shivraj ji (MP CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan) is doing a good job and the next polls will be contested under his leadership itself,” Vijayvargiya added.

Vijayvargiya, who is BJP general secretary in-charge of West Bengal, alleged there was no democracy in the eastern state and even serious offences like rape are taken up by the police if some functionary of the ruling Trinamool Congress makes a phone call.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Federal staff and is auto-published from a syndicated feed.)