Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Thursday ruled out as impracticable the demand raised by opposition parties and social groups for imposition of a blanket ban on the sale of liquor in the state along the lines of Gujarat and Bihar, drawing the ire of Aam Aadmi Party.
"It is not possible to clamp a ban on liquor all of a sudden. Even if it (the ban) is imposed then those habitual to drinking will not be able to quit it and they will arrange it (liquor) from here and there. It will also lead to problems," Chouhan said, addressing a gathering at Bundelkhand's Ranipura village under the 'Gramodaya Se Bharat Uday' programme.
The demand for banning sale on liquor in the state was raised by Congress and Aam Aadmi Party.
"Those who consume liquor remain in a state of confusion that they are consuming liquor, but in fact it's liquor which is consuming the drunkards... drunkenness is a cause for disaster," he said.
The Chief Minister said spreading awareness about ill-effects of drinking liquor is a better option than total prohibition.
"The better option is to run an awareness campaign on the issue and let people take a vow that they will not drink. This will gradually reduce the number of liquor shops in the state and time will come when people would say that there is no one in the state who is a habitual drinker," Chouhan said.
However, AAP has criticised the CM's statement.
"The state government's intention on the issue is not honest. If it (prohibition) is possible in Gujarat and Bihar then why not in Madhya Pradesh?" asked state AAP convener, Akshay Hunka.
