Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Oct 11: The Congress leaders in Jammu today strongly criticized the BJP controlled Administration for it’s recent decision to allow sale of beers and alcoholic beverages over the counter at departmental stores and described it worst gift of BJP to Jammu, the historic pilgrimage destination în the country.
Working president JKPCC, Raman Bhalla chaired the meeting of senior Congress leaders including Yogesh Sawhney, Ravinder Sharma, Manmohan Singh and others. Attacking the BJP, the Congress leaders said that the people of Jammu gave 25 MLAs to BJP and it has returned the worst gift, with such disastrous decisions, which will tarnish the image of `Holiest City of Temples’ and the historic pilgrimage destination în view of the most revered shrine of Mata Vaishnodevi în the region.
After downgrading Jammu and Kashmir and snatching away its statehood, the proxy BJP administration is resorting to such anti- youth decisions which will push the Jammu youth towards alcohal addiction by easy availability of such drinks. Approving sale of alcoholic beverages at common departmental stores goes to show an encouragement of engaging in alcoholic beverages and is particularly harmful for the youth. It’s really sad that BJP has resorted to wholesale opening of liquor shops and now easy availability Beer and other such drinks on departmental stores, whereas în opposition it used to blame the Kashmir based governments of pushing Jammu youth to addiction.
Taking a jibe at BJP, the Congress said that BJP govt has no jobs for the youth and had advised them to sell `Pakoras’ and now decided to easily make available alcohol to them. They stated that this is a huge mistake by the administration and should be revoked forthwith. This will impact the people of Jammu Kashmir and specially the youth.
This move by the BJP Administration encourages youth towards alcohlic drinks by allowing Departmental stores, which are supposed to be family stores, also located in residential localities în urban areas.
‘We strongly stand against this decision and urge the administration to rethink.’ This move might promote negative activities in otherwise safe and peaceful localities too and have an influence on the younger generation which should not be promoted at all,” they added.
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