Anna Hazare to go on indefinite hunger strike from Feb 14 to protest Maha govt's wine policy
Pune(PTI): Social activist Anna Hazare on Wednesday said he will go on an indefinite hunger strike from February 14 to protest the Maharashtra government's policy permitting sale of wine at supermarkets and grocery shops.
The activist has written in another "reminder" letter to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray over the issue.
In his letter to Thackeray, Hazare stated that the people of the state have demanded that the policy permitting sale of wine at supermarkets and walk-in shops be called back immediately.
The 84-year-old activist in a statement warned that he will start his indefinite hunger strike from his village Ralegaon Siddhi in Ahmednagar district on February 14.
Hazare said that he had written two letters addressing the chief minister, urging him to call back the decision, but did not receive any response about the same.
In his previous letters, the activist had stated that the decision to allow the sale of wine in supermarkets and grocery shops was unfortunate for the state and it will prove to be dangerous for the future generations.
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Congress using hijab issue to pacify minority anger, alleges Karnataka LoP R Ashoka
Bengaluru: Leader of Opposition in the Assembly R. Ashoka has accused the Congress government of using the hijab issue to placate what he described as discontent among minority voters after the Davanagere by-election.
In a post on X on Wednesday, Ashoka alleged that the state government, instead of addressing issues such as price rise, corruption, farmers’ distress and law and order, was attempting to retain its minority vote base by reviving the hijab issue.
Referring to the 2022 dress code introduced by the BJP government, which prohibited hijab in schools and colleges, Ashoka said the Karnataka High Court had upheld the policy and emphasised the importance of discipline in educational institutions.
He questioned the Congress government’s move to revisit the issue and asked whether setting aside the court-backed policy to benefit one community could be described as secularism.
Ashoka further alleged that while the government was willing to permit hijab, it continued to prohibit saffron shawls.
He accused the government of dividing students on religious lines rather than treating schools and colleges as spaces of equality.
Drawing a comparison with Mamata Banerjee’s government in West Bengal, Ashoka claimed that excessive appeasement politics had harmed the state and warned that the Congress in Karnataka could face a similar political response.
He said voters in Karnataka would teach the Congress a lesson for what he termed “vote-bank politics” and for compromising constitutional and judicial principles.
