Two factions of the Karnataka Congress, one of them led by Chief Minister K Siddaramaiah, have approached the Congress Central leadership to sort out the difference over imposing prohibition on liquor in the election-bound State.
While a section of party MLAs and workers want to follow the Bihar and Gujarat model of blanket ban on liquor in the State, Siddaramaiah is opposed to the move protect revenue loss of about Rs 19,000 crore.
Shrugging off the demands made by some MLAs and party volunteers, Siddaramaiah has conveyed to them that liquor ban will impact the State’s revenue and lead to corruption.
“Prohibition deprives legitimate manufacturers of revenues, thousands of others of their income earned in manufacture, sale and distribution and the State of much-needed revenues through various taxes,” said a close aide of the CM. He pointed that in the wake of Supreme Court ban of liquor along National Highways, Karnataka is already losing almost Rs 4,000 crore and about 10,000 related establishments have been closed down.
MLA BR Patil and former MLC Allam Prabhu Patil have taken up the cause of total prohibition in Karnataka and are trying to convince leadership in Delhi to back their move. “We will wait for the call from our new party boss Rahul Gandhi),” said a Karnataka leader, who is camping in Delhi.
The leaders of the pro-ban lobby claim that liquor business promotes crime and corruption and harms the youth in a big way.
But the anti-ban lobby has its own arguments. “Bengaluru has built a reputation as one of India’s most cosmopolitan cities, which include its open attitude towards alcohol. Professionals from across the world. Bengaluru has also provided its citizens with a modern and world-class lifestyle, leisure and entertainment environment. Moderation and not deprivation and bans are the key to social reforms of any sort. Drinking, like so many other lifestyle choices can never be banned,” said a leader from the CM faction.
The share of tax slated to be collected from alcohol in Karnataka for the fiscal year (FY) 2017-18 stood at 12.3 per cent of the total receipts by the State. Karnataka has collected more than one-fifth of the total alcohol taxes collected by 17 States.
The JD(S)-BJP-led Govern-ment had banned “arrack” in 2006-07 in the State, claiming that poor people suffer because of it. The 2007 ban, however, did little to stop hooch tragedies in the State, and in 2008, Karnataka hit the highest hooch death toll of 180. In addition, liquor companies manufacturing cheap Whiskey and Brandy mushroomed across the State to cater to these poor drinkers who could no longer get arrack. That ban was soon lifted.