At the cabinet meeting, the Madhya Pradesh Home Minister, Narotam Mishra, said, “All that as and shop bars are being shut in the state. From hereon, liquor will be sold at the shops, and places of drinking will not be allowed.” After a cabinet meeting, the Madhya Pradesh government announced a new excise policy to shut all that (areas attached to liquor shops where people can drink) in the state.
The government has been discouraging its citizens to stop the consumption of liquor. The Home Minister Mishra further added that the liquor shops will be set 100 meters away from religious and educational institutions. Earlier, the distance used to be 50 meters. Also, strict rules will be implemented for the cancellation of driving licenses in cases of drunk driving.
Shivraj Singh Chouhan, the chief minister of Madhya Pradesh, has been urging individuals to refrain from drinking. No new bars have opened since 2010, and 64 shops in the state were shuttered during the Narmada Seva Yatra.
The Road to Victory
Uma Bharti, a BJP politician, has been protesting to stop public alcohol consumption. On her demand, the new excise policy came into force in Madhya Pradesh.
Uma Bharti organised the programme “madhushala mein gaushala” to protest against the consumption of alcohol. In Orchha town, in the Niwari district, she chained two cows in front of a liquor shop and urged people to drink milk instead of alcohol.
She was also seen throwing cow dung at bars in opposition to the sale of alcohol. She claimed that the bar was illegal as it was located in an unapproved area.
The Ground Report from Madhya Pradesh
Abhay Singh, the in-charge of the Orchha police station, claimed the liquor shop was situated where it was authorised. Following the incident, the bar’s owner temporarily shut it down.
Uma Bharti was spotted throwing stones at a liquor store last year. In Bhopal, the footage of her flinging stones went viral. She made her way to the shop, which was roped off, with a group of her supporters.
Afterwards, she tweeted a justification for her action, claiming that she acted to defend ladies because drunk men in the area were staring at the female residents.
She even wrote a letter to Shivraj Singh Chouhan, the chief minister of the BJP-run state of Madhya Pradesh, asking him to completely outlaw alcohol.