"Shouldn't cause loss to state treasury": Congress' Rajesh Thakur on Madhya Pradesh govt's liquor ban

Ranchi (Jharkhand) [India], January 25 (ANI): Congress leader Rajesh Thakur criticized the Madhya Pradesh government's decision to ban liquor in 17 religious cities in the state, and said the ban should not be implemented to cause a loss to the state treasury.
Thakur added that if a ban will be in place in 17 religious cities, the sale will go on in other places of the state.
Speaking to ANI, Rajesh Thakur said, "We know that the liquor ban in Gujarat and Bihar is just a namesake and the reality is known to all. The ban should not be implemented to cause a loss to the state treasury and fill your own pockets. If there is a ban in 17 cities, the sale will go on in others."
Meanwhile, Congress leader Bhupendra Gupta has demanded that if the state government wanted to maintain the purity of the religious cities then all kinds of intoxicants should be banned, alleging that the state is affected by dry intoxicants.
"The decision to ban liquor is fine, but if the cleanliness and purity of religious cities is to be maintained, then all kinds of intoxicants should be banned. Madhya Pradesh is affected by dry intoxication and dry intoxicants are arriving via Gujarat and Odisha in the state. Additionally, factories were seized in the state where intoxicants worth around Rs 3000 crores were manufactured. So, why is it not banned; it should be stopped too," Gupta told ANI.
Madhya Pradesh government has decided to permanently shut down all liquor shops in 17 cities, with no plans for relocation.
The 17 cities where liquor shops will be permanently closed include one municipal corporation, six Nagar Palika, six Nagar Parishad, and six Gram Panchayats. Liquor shops will be completely shut down within the limits of Ujjain Municipal Corporation. Similarly, liquor will be banned in Datia Nagar Palika, Panna Nagar Palika, Mandla Nagar Palika, Multai Nagar Palika, Mandsaur Nagar Palika and Maihar Nagar Palika.
Similarly, the Nagar Parishads where liquor shops will be shut down include Omkareshwar, Maheshwar, Mandleshwar, Orchha, Chitrakoot and Amarkantak.
Furthermore, the Gram Panchayats where liquor will be banned include Salkanpur, Barman Kala Gram Panchayat, Linga Gram Panchayat, Barman Khurd Gram Panchayat, Kundalpur Gram Panchayat and Bandakpur Gram Panchayat.
Notably, the state government's previous policy to ban liquor within a radius of five kilometres on both sides of the bank of Narmada would be continued and no changes would be made to that policy. (ANI)