After a week following the statement of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah at Sindhanur denying complete Prohibition, hundreds of women under the banner of Madhya Nisheda Andolan launched a 71-day dharna in Raichur on Tuesday and demanded that the State government ban liquor sales.
Around 450 women from across the district gathered and began a dharna in front of the Mahatma Gandhi statue here.
While replying to a woman on complete Prohibition, during AICC president Rahul Gandhi’s interaction with farmers at Sindhanur, the Chief Minister had turned down the demand saying that the State would consider it only after the Centre brings in a new law. Again, women have taken up the issue, sending a strong message to Mr. Siddaramaiah that they won’t let their peaceful life rendered waste due to alcoholism.
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Vehemently highlighting the sufferings of thousands of families due to the chronic habit by their male members, the protesters said that the future of the children from such families has been drastically affected.
“No women and children can lead a happy life if a male member was a drunkard,” Mokshamma and Vidhya Patil, who run an NGO and led the protest, said.
The protesters also demanded all national political parties, including the Congress and the BJP, and the regional party Janata Dal (S) to include Prohibition in their Assembly election manifestos and take action against alcoholism. “We will take up this issue till May 21 and intensify the agitation even after if the government had not taken any action,” said Abhay Kumar and Shivaramareddy, leader of Madhya Nisheda Andolona, have said.
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Syed Hafizulla, Maremma, Neelamma, Sharanagowda, Basavaraj and others were participated.