Following objections, Karnataka to continue with 21 years as minimum age to buy liquor
Bengaluru, Jan 18: Following objections with respect to the draft rules on lowering the age limit for purchase of liquor in Karnataka to 18 years, the state government on Wednesday said it has decided to withdraw the proposed amendment and stick to 21 years as the threshold.
The Karnataka Excise Department has cited objections raised by public, associations and media for the decision.
Section 36(1)(g) of the Karnataka Excise Act, 1965, prohibits sale of liquor to persons under the age of 18 years. However, as per Rule 10(1)(e) of the Karnataka Excise (General Conditions of Licences) Rules, 1967, sale of liquor to persons below the age of 21 is prohibited, the department said in a release.
In order to remove this contradiction relating to age in the Act and the rules, the department said: "Draft notification dated January 9 has been published to amend the rule proposing to substitute the words 'eighteen years' for the words 'twenty-one years', as per the recommendations of the High Level Committee constituted for effective implementation, to identify and eliminate redundant aspects in the Karnataka Excise Act, 1965 and Rules framed thereunder."
A period of 30 days was given for objections or suggestions from persons likely to be affected with respect to the said draft rules.
"In consideration to the objections raised by public, associations and media with respect to the said draft rules lowering the age limit from 21 years to 18 years...the draft rules published to amend Rule 10 (1)(e) of the Karnataka Excise (General Conditions of Licences) Rules, 1967 and substitute the words eighteen years for the words twenty-one years, has been withdrawn with immediate effect," the release said.
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BJP has history of ‘contradictory alliances’, says BK Hariprasad
Bengaluru: Congress MLC B. K. Hariprasad has launched a sharp attack on the BJP, accusing the party of hypocrisy over its criticism of alliance politics in Tamil Nadu.
In a post on X on Friday, Hariprasad said BJP leader B. L. Santhosh criticising the Congress party’s alliance politics in Tamil Nadu was “not just laughable, but the height of political contradiction.”
He said the Congress has always joined hands with like-minded parties to protect secular and democratic values in the country.
Hariprasad questioned the BJP over several of its past and present alliances across the country. Referring to Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Tripura, Bihar and Maharashtra, he accused the BJP of sharing power with parties it had earlier criticised.
He alleged that the BJP had aligned with separatist and corruption-linked political forces in different states for political gains.
“The BJP, which speaks against alliances today, should first look at its own political history,” he said, adding that the party’s record was full of “contradictions and changing stands.”
Hariprasad also accused the BJP of using central agencies such as the Enforcement Directorate, Income Tax Department and CBI as political tools to target opposition leaders, topple governments and influence electoral mandates.
He further claimed that the people of Tamil Nadu had strongly rejected the BJP and its ideology in the recent election.
“Congress forms alliances to protect the Constitution, secularism and national unity, while the BJP enters into alliances only for power,” he said.
