Last Updated:
The J&K Assembly, which will convene for the budget session on March 3, is expected to witness heated debates as three members have introduced bills calling for a liquor ban.
PDP’s Mehbooba Mufti and J&K CM Omar Abdullah | File Image.PTI
J&K Liquor Ban Row: A fresh political row erupted in Jammu and Kashmir after the People’s Democratic Party, led by Mehbooba Mufti, launched a campaign demanding a ban on the sale of liquor in the valley.
Mufti on Sunday joined her party’s signature campaign for an alcohol ban, while the National Conference (NC) targeted the former party over “its hypocrisy for opposing the ban when in power”.
Over the weekend, posters supporting the ban appeared across Srinagar, urging tourists to “respect local culture and traditions.” The police’s actions to remove the posters have been criticised by the Opposition.
The signature campaign was launched by party leader and Mehbooba Mufti’s daughter Iltija Mufti at the PDP head office on Saturday.
“We are here for a serious issue. Drugs and alcohol are spreading like wildfire. PDP MLA from Kupwara has introduced a bill in the J-K assembly seeking a ban on alcohol. We have started the signature campaign from the PDP office,” Mufti told reporters after launching the campaign.
NC Calls Out PDP’s ‘Hypocrisy’
The ruling NC reminded the PDP of “their days when in power.”
“Before launching their signature campaign, JKPDP must be held accountable for their blatant hypocrisy. In 2016, the PDP government ruled out an alcohol ban but is now shamelessly playing to galleries. The PDP has always been a party built on lies, deception and opportunism,” said NC spokesperson Imran Dar.
The J&K Assembly, which will convene for the budget session on March 3, is expected to witness heated debates as three members have introduced bills calling for a liquor ban.
PDP’s Fayaz Ahmad Mir, National Conference’s Ahsan Pardesi, and Awami Ittehad Party’s (AIP) Sheikh Khursheed Ahmad have each submitted separate bills in the assembly seeking a ban on the sale of liquor in the Union Territory.
- Location :
Jammu and Kashmir, India, India
