Members of the district unit of the All-India Democratic Youth Organisation (AIDYO) staged a protest here on Thursday demanding that the State government withdraw its proposal to issue permits to open 1,000 more liquor shops across the State.
In a memorandum submitted to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, the members said that at a time when people were trying to reduce consumption of alcohol, the government’s proposal had come as a shock.
The AIDYO had taken up the struggle to ban sale of liquor in the State in the past. But, the consumption had been on the rise.
The BJP government in the State depended on excise earnings to boost its revenue.
What would be the difference between the BJP and the Congress governments if the latter proposed to increase the number of liquor shops in the State, the members wondered.
The reason cited by the government that no permits had been issued to open liquor shops in the State since 1997 was not tenable, the members said.
