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Can prohibition pitch gain traction in dry Gujarat?

For the first time in the history of state, a party speaks of making prohibition a poll plank

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Prohibition for Gujarat is what beef is for Kerala. Ask how? Because both are issues none in his/her right senses would touch. Even as the Centre struggles to find a way out of the mess it has got itself into for having mentioned something like a beef ban, at home in Gujarat, a new born party is doing the unthinkable — talking about lifting prohibition.

One of the main agenda of the newly conceived Smart Party is to lift prohibition and withdraw all the prohibition-related cases registered in Gujarat, because prohibition, according to the party, is a major hurdle in state’s economic growth. 

Party founder and former IPS officer Rahul Sharma told DNA, “If liquor is an addiction, then the addict should be sent to a hospital or de-addiction centre, not jail. Prohibition is not only a curse on state’s exchequer but also a burden. It needs review. If we come to power, we will not only lift prohibition completely but also withdraw all the cases registered under the prohibition law.” He also predicts prohibition as a poll plank is going to be a game changer in state’s politics.

Elaborating why prohibition cases should go, Sharma explains, “If a labourer who lives in a village is booked under the prohibition law, he has to appear before the court for every hearing, which means he loses his daily income and his family suffers. Even if state wins the case, can it really be called a victory or defeat? The solution, we believe, is to withdraw all the cases under prohibition, which will also reduce the burden on court.”

Moreover, says Sharma, lifting prohibition will help boost tourism, which will in turn create employment.

Sharma stresses he will not hold any party post and will only campaign and contest, though he has not decided on a constituency yet. 

According to party’s principal founder Abhishek Kumar, the excise tax revenue from sale of liquor in Tamil Nadu, where there is partial prohibition, is around Rs25,000 to 30,000 crore. “If absolute prohibition is lifted in Gujarat, our state revenue will increase by Rs20,000 to Rs25,000 crore annually,” he said.

Both Sharma and Kumar say the party will use this fund for the education sector. “Not on infrastructure or salaries, but to give a monthly stipend of Rs1,000 to students — from primary to higher studies. 

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