Prohibition law: Cong to oppose amendments

In the wake of the July Ahmedabad hooch tragedy,the state government had passed the amendment Bill,prescribing the death sentence or life imprisonment for those manufacturing,keeping,selling or making arrangement for the preparation and distribution of lattha (spurious liquor) that resulted in the death of a person due to its consumption.

The Governor had returned the Bill on November 3 ,observing that “death sentence is basically deprivation of life and liberty of the individual”,but the state government is bringing the Bill with the same provisions in the House on Friday.

Senior Congress member Sidhdharth Patel said on Thursday: “Despite the former Governor’s clear cut direction to the Legislative Assembly that a consensus should be reached among all political parties on the various components of the Bill after a thorough debate on the overall prohibition issue,the BJP government is bringing it back in the House without having a word on it with the Opposition. We’ll strongly oppose this draconian Bill.”

Patel,who is also president of the Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee,told The Indian Express that Jamir had even directed the state government to involve Gandhian thinkers,political parties,intellectuals,media and others in creating social awareness about the evils of liquor consumption.

But,the ruling BJP has ignored even this directive issued by the Constitutional Head of the State,and decided to come up with the Bill again.

Accusing the government of “ignoring the democratic process”,the Opposition leader said his party endorsed the observations made by the former Governor against the proposed provision of capital punishment made in the Bill.

“Such a provision has all the potential to play havoc with the lives of the poor. The Modi government was rattled by the Ahmedabad hooch tragedy and was forced to propose such a measure to cool down the tempers,” he added.

Incidentally,Jamir,while returning the Bill,had also said, “It needs to be examined whether the provisions of the Bill pertaining to prescribing the death sentence are within the Legislative competence of the Gujarat Assembly,and whether they are ultra vires of the Constitution of India”.

He had also expressed his concern over the “improper” implementation of the prohibition policy in the state.