Mr. Rajagopalachari, who introduced prohibition in Tamilnadu as Chief Minister, went to Mr.Karunanidhi’s house and pleaded with him not to open toddy and arrack shops. Mr.Karunanidhi refused to listen to this old man’s saner counsel.

 

Closing down liquor shops:- 

People keep asking how can a welfare state run liquor shops. The question  asked is valid. But the people have also to ask a few more questions to find out the answer.

Dry laws which prevailed in Tamilnadu 

during the Congress period were abruptly annulled by Mr.M.Karunanidhi w.e.f.30.8.1971 while presenting the State’s annual budget for the year 1971-72. A total of 7,395 toddy shops and 3,512 arrack shops were opened all over the State.

Mr. Rajagopalachari, who introduced prohibition in Tamilnadu as Chief Minister, went to Mr.Karunanidhi’s house and pleaded with him not to open toddy and arrack shops. Mr.Karunanidhi refused to listen to this old man’s saner counsel. That was the beginning of the endless flow of liquor into Tamilnadu and also the consequent ruining of the poor.

Tamilnadu government employees’ pay and pension was not on par with the pay and pension of central government employees. Government of Tamilnadu conceded to the employees’ demand to pay them on par with their counterparts in the central services. It weakened the State’s finance and the government was badly in need of funds to finance the salary and pension bills of its employees.

In the Tamilnadu government budget for the year 2020-21 total tax income of the state is Rs1.33 lakh crores and its allocation for government employees’ salary and pension alone works out to Rs.96 thousand crores.

In order to capture power in Tamilnadu both the Dravidian parties are competing with one another in promising freebies to the people even though they never ask for it. It resulted in free rice, cycle, TV., grinder, mixie, land, sarees, laptop, pongal gifts (including cash), free bus journey for students and so on emptying the State’s exchequer. The government is  badly in need of money to run the administration.

All these things made the government lose moral values and forced it to resort to any method to collect money.

By running liquor shops government is getting more than Rs.30 thousand crores of income annually. Government cannot afford to lose it.

Under Article 47 of the Constitution of India, it is the duty of every government to “endeavour to bring about prohibition of the consumption except for medical purposes of intoxicating drinks and of drugs which are injurious to health.”

Unless the government takes corrective steps in the salary structure of government employees and its ill-advised  move to give freebies to the people, liquor shops cannot be closed.

Opposite parties are also equally responsible for this situation.