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Sambhaji Brigade woos voters with promise of liquor ban

"We will ensure remunerative pricing for farm produce and prohibition in rural areas," said Manoj Akhare, president of the Sambhaji Brigade.

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Manoj Akhare
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Charges of political parties distributing liquor to woo voters during elections are commonplace. But, this organisation-turned political party is one with a difference —prohibition tops the list of its promises if elected to power.

"We will ensure remunerative pricing for farm produce and prohibition in rural areas," said Manoj Akhare, president of the Sambhaji Brigade.

The hardline Sambhaji Brigade, which is a front of the Maratha Sewa Sangh (MSS) formed by former public works department (PWD) engineer Purushottam Khedekar, has a base in the Maratha community, especially in regions like Marathwada.

In 2004, Brigade activists attacked the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute (BORI) in Pune to protest defamatory writings by American author James Laine against warrior-king Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and his mother Rajmata Jijabai Bhosale.

The Brigade has five candidates in the Lok Sabha polls, namely Netaji Gore (Osmanabad), Vishwambhar Kashid (Madha), Vitthal Chavan (Thane), Sanjay Patil (Bhiwandi) and Sham Shirsat (Jalna).

"The younger generation is going astray due to liquor. During elections, there's a free-flow of liquor supply in villages. As per our survey, most addicts had their first taste of liquor during the elections when it was distributed for free. They gradually became addicted and end up selling things from their houses to satiate their addiction," he added.

Akhare claimed that the world would be a better place if liquor was banned and attributed social ills, mental health disorders and even distress suicides to the prevalence of drinking.

"Without liquor, villages will become sujalam sufalam in the true sense. Earlier, people would drink only when they went to talukas. Now, it is available locally with home delivery being made available by retailers, increasing the magnitude of the problem. This has also compromised with safety of women," said Akhare.

Apart from prohibition, the party has also promised to ensure nationalisation of all religious institutions to use their funds for development of local areas, free education from kindergarten to post-graduation, a separate budget for agriculture, implementation of the recommendations of the MS Swaminathan commission for farmers.

ONE FOR THE VOTE

  • Sambhaji Brigade has five candidates in the Lok Sabha elections
     
  • The candidates are contesting from Osmanabad, Madha, Thane, Bhiwandi and Jalna
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