CPI demands ban of liquor sales amid lockdown, calls govt's decision 'anti-public'

Terming Union Government's decision to allow sale of liquor during COVID-19 induced lockdown as "anti-public" policy, Communist Party of India (CPI) national secretary K Narayana on Monday slammed decision.

'... it will have a bad effect on people'

While speaking to news ncy ANI, he said, "With Coronavirus still existing and lockdown still in force, how liquor shops are allowed to sell liquor? It is t possible. Allowing sale of liquor is an anti-public policy." He said CPI demands that sale of liquor should be banned in country till lockdown is t lifted. "Orwise, it will have a bad effect on people," he added.

CPI workers throughout India on Monday went for fast to protest against treatment being meted out to migrant labourers and sale of liquor, without violating lockdown rms. "We are demanding from Centre to release funds at least Rs 10 lakh crore to all States. Efforts must be made to ensure that each family gets 20kg rice and wheat per month," added Narayana.

CPI leaders Narayana, Azeez Pasha, Chada Venkat Reddy, and ors sat for a one-day hunger strike today at Makhdoom Bhavan.

READ | Liquor shops open in Chhattisgarh for first time since March; Govt allows home delivery

Impatient to end a nearly 40-day dry spell, a multitude of tipplers descended on liquor shops that reopened on Monday in many parts of India, jostling and pulling at each or in total defiance of social distancing rms, forcing authorities to shut stores in some places to prevent near-riot situations.

READ | Andhra Pradesh: Tenali villrs queue outside liquor shop 'distancing' with umbrellas

Extraordinary scenes of chaos were witnessed outside government-run shops in New Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Luckw and or cities. While in one shop first customer was welcomed with a garland of marigolds, in ar a customer broke a coconut to herald end of Coronavirus-enforced lockdown dry spell.

Through much of day, in national capital and elsewhere in India, thousands of men, and in a few cases, women too were seen standing in snaking queues for hours or jostling restlessly as y waited for shutters to go up.

READ | Chennai's Koyembedu market closed after 300 COVID cases; TASMAC liquor shops to open

READ | Delhi govt rushed into opening liquor shops despite city being in ‘red zone’: Harsh Vardhan

(With ncy inputs)