Party threatens Valley-wide agitation, Secretariat gherao
Abid Bashir
Srinagar, May 15: A protest march by Bharatiya Janata Party workers who attempted to march towards Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s Gupkar residence, demanding a complete ban on liquor and immediate closure of wine shops across J&K was foiled on Friday after police intervention.
Carrying placards bearing slogans such as “Ban Liquor, Save Society”, “Close Wine Shops in Kashmir” and “Nasha Mukt J&K”, BJP workers assembled at Ram Munshi Bagh and tried to proceed towards the Chief Minister’s residence on Gupkar road. However, police personnel deployed there intercepted the protesters and prevented them from marching ahead.
Amid sloganeering, several BJP leaders accused the National Conference-led government of maintaining a “double standard” on the liquor issue while claiming to support anti-drug campaigns.
“If there is a Nasha Mukt Abhiyan, then there should also be a ban on liquor. The NC-led government must ban liquor and close all wine shops,” BJP General Secretary Muhammad Anwar Khan told reporters during the protest.
J&K BJP spokesman Altaf Thakur said the party’s stand on the issue was “clear and unambiguous.”
“Our stand is clear that people want to see a ban on liquor. The NC government must immediately close all wine shops in Jammu and Kashmir,” Thakur said.
He warned that the BJP would intensify protests in the coming days across Kashmir if the government failed to act.
“We will launch protests from Qazigund to Karnah and, if needed, we will also go for Secretariat gherao. People are emotionally and socially against liquor consumption and the government must respect public sentiment,” he added.
Several BJP workers who participated in the protest also voiced strong opposition to liquor sale in Kashmir. A protesting worker, Javaid Ahmad from Srinagar, said liquor was “destroying families and affecting the younger generation.”
“We are not against tourism or development, but liquor cannot be promoted in the name of tourism. Kashmir has its own culture and values,” he said.
Another BJP activist, Mohammad Rafiq from Budgam, said the government should take “serious moral responsibility” instead of treating liquor merely as a source of revenue.
“If drugs are harmful, liquor is harmful too. The government cannot run anti-drug campaigns on one side and allow more wine shops on the other,” he said. When protesters tried to inch closer to Chief Minister’s residence, police swung into action and foiled the march by detaining BJP leaders and a few protestors, who were released later.
The protest comes amid an escalating political and social controversy over liquor sale and the opening of wine shops in Kashmir, which has triggered reactions from political parties, religious bodies and civil society groups.
Recently, National Conference president Farooq Abdullah had remarked that his late father Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah once told former Prime Minister Morarji Desai that liquor shops in J&K could be shut “within two minutes” if the Government of India compensated the state for the revenue generated through liquor sales. The remarks sparked a fresh political debate, with opposition parties accusing the ruling establishment of avoiding a clear stand on prohibition while several groups have intensified demands for a complete liquor ban in Jammu and Kashmir.