Congress former MP Ponnan Prabhakar wondered how a chief minister prescribes liquor consumption as a remedy for body pains for a working class man in Telangana after a day-long hard labor.
Referring to Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao’s promotion of cheap liquor, Ponnam, who represented Karimanagar Lok Sabha constituency in previous Lok Sabha, said KCR was first chief minister in the country, who openly endorsed consumption liquor as body-pain reliever for poor in the place of country liquor.
” Mr Chief Minister, can you release a medical certificate to prove that cheap liquor has soothing effect on the people?,” he asked.
Ponnam on behalf of Congress party is working for an all-party JAC to wage struggle against the cheap liquor promotion by chief minister himself.
“In the name of eliminating Gudumba (country brew), the government has decided to make available to cheap liquor in every village in Telangana. The mandal headquarters will have a shop and every village will have an outlet. This is the promotion strategy of the government,” Ponnam said.
Stating that governmental promotion of cheap liquor and making it freely available at every street corner would ruin the families of weaker sections in the new state, he said.
“With chief minister KCR as brand ambassador, and ubiquitous availability will encourage people to cheap liquor consuption. It is bound to destroy the family economies.Families are bound to witness unrest. It will spoil cordial relations in families. Crime rates and suicides will increase. All parties should oppose and form into a Joint Action Committee to oppose the introduction of cheap liquor,” Ponnam told T-360.
The former MP ridiculed KCR for his inability to eliminate Gudumba despite having vast police, prohibition apparatus at his command.
“Attempt to ban Gudumba only to help liquor business won’t do any good. Because, as production of Gudumba is lucrative, it always encourages illicit brewing,” he warned.
Ponnam said an attempt was being made to form JAC with all political parties and voluntary bodies to fight the menace of KCR’s cheap liquor promotion.
If JAC proves impracticable, Congress would alone launch a movement against the introduction of cheap liquor as medicine and outlets in every village, he said adding that Congress had the backing of many women’s organizations.
” We will announce the action plan in a day or two,” Ponnam said.
