Senior Congress MLA B.R. Patil’s opposition to the State government’s controversial proposal to grant licenses to set up liquor shops in rural areas and the remark that “the government should not run with poor peoples’ money” is likely to provide a spark for renewal of an anti-liquor agitation.
Mr. Patil has questioned the government’s proposal on granting licenses for setting up liquor shops in gram panchayat (GP) limits with more than 3,000 population across the State.
Mr. Patil, who has been leading the campaign to ban liquor by introducing stringent laws to ensure de-addiction, has said there was a need to amend the excise laws in the State. “It is not correct to run the government with the money of the poor people,” he said.
