When I sought vote for banning liquor in House, only few legislators raised hands
Urges religious leaders to intensify awareness against alcohol consumption
Abid Bashir
Srinagar, May 15: Senior National Conference leader and Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, Abdur Rahim Rather Friday said that the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly remains the final authority to take any decision regarding a complete ban on liquor in the Union Territory, amid a growing political and public debate over the issue.
Talking to reporters here, Rather said that the National Conference has always opposed liquor consumption and maintained a restrictive policy during its tenure in government.
“As far as liquor is concerned, we are against it. I am not saying that today. When I was Finance Minister of J&K for 14 consecutive years, I repeatedly told the Legislative Assembly that as long as I remained the Finance Minister, nobody would get liquor licences,” Rather said.
He claimed that despite hundreds of licences being issued before and after his tenure, not a single fresh liquor licence was granted during his time as Finance Minister.
“Till then around 300 to 400 licences had already been issued and some were issued after me as well. But I made a record in the entire country that not a single licence was issued during my tenure,” he said.
The senior NC leader also appealed to religious scholars, Imams and Khateebs to play a proactive role in discouraging alcohol consumption in society.
“I urge the Imams and Khateebs to make people aware not to drink alcohol as it is prohibited in the Quran and we should abide by the rulings of the Quran,” Rather said.
On the demand for a complete liquor ban in Jammu and Kashmir, the Speaker said the matter ultimately rests with the elected representatives in the Legislative Assembly.
“As far as banning liquor in J&K is concerned, the Legislative Assembly has to take a call. Even though some members had raised the issue in the House, I told them there should be a clear majority against liquor. But there were also a few votes in favour of allowing it, so the decision could not be taken at that point,” he said.
He stressed the need for a collective social effort to tackle the issue, saying, “We should work hard to end this menace and take the matter very seriously.”
The remarks come amid an escalating controversy over liquor sale and the opening of wine shops in Kashmir, which has triggered sharp political reactions and public criticism in recent weeks.
Recently, National Conference president Farooq Abdullah had
defended the party’s stand by recalling a historical exchange between his late father Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah and former Prime Minister Morarji Desai.
Dr Farooq had stated that when Morarji Desai asked Sheikh Abdullah to ban liquor in J&K, the latter replied that if the Government of India compensated the state for the revenue earned from liquor sales, he would shut all wine shops “within two minutes.”
Dr Farooq had further said that even the present government would consider closing all liquor outlets if adequate financial compensation was provided in place of the revenue generated through liquor sales.
The issue has also turned politically charged, with opposition parties and several religious organisations demanding an immediate ban on liquor sale in Kashmir, while the ruling establishment has maintained that any such decision requires wider political consensus and legislative backing.