Omar Govt to Act on Public Sentiment: Tanvir Sadiq
As a Muslim region, J&K should be a ‘dry State’: Sagar
Abid Bashir
Srinagar, May 16: The ruling Jammu & Kashmir National Conference on Saturday indicated that the Chief Minister Omar Abdullah-led government may soon move towards imposing restrictions on liquor in Jammu and Kashmir, even as party leaders launched a sharp attack on the BJP for what they termed as “selective politics” over the issue.
Senior NC leaders, including Rajya Sabha MP Chowdhary Mohammad Ramzan, chief spokesperson and Zadibal MLA Tanvir Sadiq, Hazratbal MLA Salman Sagar and Gulmarg MLA Farooq Shah, strongly advocated stricter measures on liquor sale while questioning the BJP’s role during the 2023 Governor’s rule when the excise policy was framed.
Talking to reporters in Srinagar, Tanvir Sadiq said the Omar Abdullah-led government understood public sentiment regarding liquor sales and would take action “very soon”.
“It is a good thing that they held a protest. But unfortunately, during the Governor’s rule, they were nowhere to be seen,” Sadiq said, referring to the BJP’s recent protests against liquor sale in Kashmir.
The NC leader said the BJP’s announcement of a hunger strike until prohibition is imposed lacked credibility since the party remained silent when the liquor policy was introduced during central rule.
“They said they would sit on a hunger strike until liquor is banned. They should instead go on a hunger strike against those who introduced the policy during the Governor’s rule in 2023. They did nothing at that time,” he said.
Sadiq asserted that the Omar Abdullah government would soon take a decision on the issue.
Rajya Sabha MP Chowdhary Mohammad Ramzan said liquor prohibition should become part of the ongoing “Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyan”.
He also targeted the PDP for what he termed a contradictory stand on the issue, recalling remarks by former finance minister Haseeb Drabu.
“It is a matter of individual choice and cannot be banned — this is what Haseeb Drabu had stated earlier. How can PDP now claim that they want a liquor ban?” Ramzan asked.
Meanwhile, Hazratbal MLA Salman Sagar termed the BJP’s recent protest outside the Chief Minister’s residence as “stage-managed” and questioned the intent behind the demonstration.
“BJP had brought around 200 people and tried to stage a protest outside Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s residence. It seemed some people were allowed to create a hullabulla situation just for television cameras. The reality is that BJP itself could not ban liquor,” Sagar said.
Calling for a complete prohibition, Sagar said Jammu and Kashmir, being a Muslim-majority region, should ideally become a dry state.
“As a Muslim-majority state, I believe J&K should be a dry state and liquor should be completely banned,” he said.
NC MLA Farooq Shah, however, said the final decision on prohibition would rest with the Assembly.
“The Assembly will take the final call on banning liquor in Jammu and Kashmir,” Shah said.
The debate over liquor sales gained further momentum after recent remarks by NC president Farooq Abdullah, who recalled a conversation between his father, Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, and former Prime Minister Morarji Desai regarding prohibition in Jammu and Kashmir.
Dr Farooq said Morarji Desai had once asked Sheikh Abdullah why liquor was not being banned in the erstwhile state. According to Dr Farooq, Sheikh Abdullah responded that if the Government of India compensated the revenue losses arising from prohibition, all wine shops in Jammu and Kashmir would be shut immediately. The remarks have triggered fresh political debate over balancing public sentiment, religious sensitivities, tourism interests and government revenue linked to liquor sales in Jammu and Kashmir. The issue has intensified in recent weeks, with political parties trading accusations over excise policies and public protests emerging in parts of Kashmir demanding a complete ban on alcohol.