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Politics Over Prohibition :NATIONAL SHAME INDEED, By Dr S Saraswathi, 17 Aug, 2015 Print E-mail

Events & Issus

New Delhi, 17 August 2015

Politics Over Prohibition

NATIONAL SHAME INDEED

By Dr S Saraswathi

(Former Director, ICSSR, New Delhi)

 

The death of an anti-liquor crusader protesting atop a 120-foot high mobile tower in a town panchayat in Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu has drawn the nation’s attention to the fickle prohibition policy of the governments. The novel way of courting death has served to bring together a number of political parties on an issue worth fighting in the next Assembly election in Tamil Nadu next year. 

 

Sasi Perumal, the martyr in this case who is known as a “Gandhian”, was demanding the closure of a particular liquor shop located near a school and a church. This IMFL (Indian-made Foreign Liquor) retail outlet of TASMAC (Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation Ltd.) was opened in 2012 amidst protests from the residents there. Organized protests are going on for the closure of this shop for the past 7-8 months under the banner “People’s Movement Against Liquor”. The recent decision of the Kerala government to implement prohibition in a phased manner seems to have encouraged the movement in Tamil Nadu.

 

Following the death of Perumal, large-scale protests spread to several districts. Liquor shops were ransacked and student groups clashed with the police. Incidents of anti-liquor protesters climbing up mobile phone towers have become common.

 

The agitation is continuing for over 1,000 days in which representatives from all political parties except the ruling AIADMK are participating. The PMK, MDMK, DMDK, Congress, BJP, VCK, and TMC comprising both national and regional parties, unleashed joint and their own individual protests against the Government’s liquor policy. A State-wide bandh was also called which received considerable support in some places.

 

The agitation has gained momentum and is spreading vigorously like the anti-Hindi movement in the mid-1960s. Every party is now compelled to come with a firm policy on prohibition and express it in unambiguous terms. People seem to expect that party manifestoes for 2016 election would clarify their stand and measures they would take.

 

The PMK has been advocating prohibition for a long time going back to the DMK rule long before other parties woke up. Its leaders claim a 25-year-old agenda for ban of liquor as well as tobacco. They are complaining that drink addiction is the main reason for the backwardness of many “backward” castes despite the policy of affirmative action.

 

DMK leader Karunanidhi requested the Governor to prevail upon the State government to promulgate an Ordinance or adopt a resolution in the Assembly to implement prohibition. He promised to bring total prohibition in the State. His son MK Stalin, too asserted that his party would come to power after election and its first job would be to implement prohibition. But, why no steps were taken in this regard in the long rule of the DMK or what is the sudden urgency now is anybody’s guess.  

 

Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi supporting the agitators assured that his party would formulate a new liquor policy if voted to power. He accused the regional parties of listening to the liquor lobby instead of the suffering families. Incidentally, he is in no mood to advise all Congress-ruled State governments to introduce prohibition.

 

The Tamil Maanila Congress has undertaken a signature campaign to mobilize public opinion for prohibition. BJP’s State unit has set up a “Taskforce Against TASMAC” and a hotline inviting people to join the movement.  It is asking the government to spell out its measures against the sale of alcohol, and to set up de-addiction camps. The party is for carrying on a peaceful agitation to bring about a revolutionary change.

 

MDMK leader Vaiko is in the forefront of many protests and courting arrest. However, his vociferous demand for closure of TASMAC shops has raised a counter question about  his silence on the proved  evil of smoking and tobacco use – a  trade in which his family is said to have vested interest. The CPI as a national party wants the Prime Minister to intervene and declare prohibition for the entire country by passing an urgent bill.

 

Recall, prohibition was introduced in Tamil Nadu in Salem district in 1937 by the Congress government formed by Rajaji. It was extended to the entire province and continued till 1971. It was the DMK government under Karunanidhi (contrary to the avowed wishes of the party’s revered leader Annadurai who died in 1969) that lifted prohibition in 1971 when Tamil Nadu along with Gujarat had the unique distinction of following prohibition policy.  Protests by the Congress under Kamaraj and the Swatantra parties were in vain.

 

In 1974, the DMK government facing a formidable challenge of the breakaway group under MGR, who then supported prohibition and staged a massive victory in a bye-election immediately after parting company with the DMK, chose to close arrack and IMFL shops in 1974. Evidently, it was a political strategy. MGR too changed his stand after coming to power and reintroduced sale of toddy and arrack in 1981 for revenue, and established TASMAC in 1983. Prohibition was again introduced in 1988, but lifted within two years.  

 

Both DMK and the AIADMK were patrons with little difference. In 1989, the government formed TASCO to manufacture IMFL and beer. In 1990, country liquor was reintroduced, but abolished by successor AIADMK government under Jayalalitha in 1991. Thereafter, the State government’s interest in liquor trade increased by leaps and bounds.

 

In 2003, TASMAC was formed which took over the sale of IMFL. By then, the government had entered liquor business wholeheartedly with the sole object of increasing its revenue, unmindful of its social consequences. Income from liquor sale that stood at Rs.3,639 crore in 2003-04 rose to Rs.26,188 crore by 2014-15. Incentives are offered for boosting sales and instructions are provided for augmenting liquor trade. Shops are opened in big malls for the benefit of elite drinkers. Women are encouraged to participate by providing separate entrance in liquor shops.

 

TASMAC shops flourish as a monopolistic state enterprise under Items 8 and 51 in the State List in the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution.

 

Electoral alliances for national or State elections are mostly in the form of seat sharing and not on common policies or agreed programmes. Hence, prohibition has never been a subject in election or government formation or in political alliances.

 

Politics over prohibition cannot be derided. It is written in Article 47 of the Constitution that the “State shall endeavour to bring about prohibition of the consumption except for medicinal purposes of intoxicating drinks which are injurious to health”. In flagrant violation of this Directive Principle, many State governments are actively promoting intoxicating drinks and are engaged in a flourishing liquor business. It is believed that the tainted money is used in providing freebies. Alcohol addict can hardly understand the intricacies of populist policies.

 

What is strange is the sudden involvement of several political parties in the prohibition movement. Most of these are small parties that cannot hope to come to power to implement what they are promising. The bigger ones are in dire need of forging a strong electoral alliance for which the current prohibition movement provides an issue that can appeal to various sections of the voters.---INFA

 

(Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)

           

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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