Where were critics when wine shops opened across villages?
Abid Bashir
Srinagar, May 12: National Conference president Farooq Abdullah on Tuesday said the present government will close all wine shops if the Government of India compensates the revenue J&K earns out of liquor sales.
Talking to reporters at the party headquarters, Nawa-e-Subh complex here, Dr Abdullah said the issue was being unnecessarily politicised by opposition parties for their political gains.
“I don’t drink wine. Those who drink, will continue. If they won’t get it here, they will bring it from outside,” Dr Abdullah said.
The NC chief said those creating a “hue and cry” over the issue should answer who the actual consumers of liquor are and why the matter was ignored for years when liquor outlets expanded in the Valley. “I ask the opposition why they were silent when liquor shops were opened in Kashmir. Wine shops were opened in every village, but they remained silent,” he said.
Recalling a political episode from 1977, Dr Abdullah said former Prime Minister Morarji Desai had once asked his father, the late Sheikh Abdullah, to shut down liquor shops in Jammu & Kashmir.
“I remember in 1977 when Morarji Desai, who was against liquor, came to Kashmir and asked my father Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah to close wine shops. My father told him that if the Government of India compensates J&K for the revenue earned through liquor sales, he would close the shops in a day,” Dr Abdullah said.
He added that the present government too could shut wine shops immediately if financial compensation was provided by the Centre.
“I believe if the Government of India helps us with revenue compensation — the revenue earned out of liquor sales in J&K — the present government will close all wine shops within minutes,” he said.
Dr Abdullah also launched a sharp attack on opposition parties, accusing them of selectively targeting the National Conference for political gains.
“They think NC is afraid of them, but let me tell them we will give them a defeat they will remember forever,” he said.
The remarks come amid an intensifying political debate after Chief Minister Omar Abdullah recently defended the government’s policy position on regulated liquor sales, triggering criticism from PDP and BJP leaders.
PDP leaders accused the NC government of compromising Kashmir’s social and religious sensitivities, while BJP leaders questioned the National Conference’s “double standards” on the issue and accused the ruling party of trying to justify liquor trade in the Valley.
The liquor debate has once again emerged as a politically sensitive issue in Kashmir, with opposition parties attempting to corner the ruling NC government over the matter ahead of upcoming political engagements.
Meanwhile, Dr Abdullah also expressed concern over the deteriorating global situation due to the ongoing Iran-US-Israel tensions, warning that a prolonged conflict could trigger severe economic consequences.
“We are heading towards the worst crisis, fuel crisis and economic crisis. If the Iran-US-Israel war doesn’t stop, only God knows what our fate will be,” he said.
Commenting on the possibility of online schooling amid uncertain conditions, Dr Abdullah said virtual education was not a practical long-term solution.
“I believe online schooling is not a suitable solution,” he said, adding that the larger economic situation itself was becoming increasingly fragile due to global instability. The NC chief’s remarks are expected to further intensify the political confrontation between the ruling
National Conference and opposition parties over the liquor policy debate in J&K.