Uma Bharti targets BJP govt in MP over liquor policy
Bhopal, Apr 15 (PTI): BJP leader and former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Uma Bharti on Tuesday targeted her party's government in the state over the liquor policy, stating that there were widespread public protests, especially led by women, over the allotment of liquor shops.
Virtually warning the Mohan Yadav-led government in the state, she said the "watchman" was still alive.
Around two years back, Bharti had run a campaign against liquor shops in Madhya Pradesh and sought total or at least partial prohibition in the state.
In a series of posts on social media platform X on Tuesday, Bharti said, "Two years ago, a massive campaign was run in Madhya Pradesh regarding prohibition of liquor, as a result of which a new liquor policy was announced in early January 2023."
This excise policy, which was made after extensive consultations, was taking us towards complete prohibition in a couple of years, she said.
"I was waiting for two years for the same policy to be implemented effectively. In the last one-and-a-half years, I also held continuous talks with the new government on this issue. Even if it is our government or our chief minister, we do not make our conversations public," the former Union minister said.
The former chief minister said, "As I followed the policy of 'Discussion of virtues everywhere but that of shortcomings at the right place', everyone must have thought that I have become neutral on this issue. But this is not at all true. My mind has been in turmoil for the last four months."
There is widespread public protest, especially by women, over the allotment of shops, she said.
"Have we become careless towards the liquor distribution policy?" she asked.
Bharti added, "The watchman is still alive. There is no need for a stone in the hand, the blow of cow dung will be more severe."
In the past, Bharti had thrown dung at a shop in Orchha in protest against the sale of liquor.
She has been demanding total prohibition in Madhya Pradesh since the last several years.
In 2022, she had hurled a stone at alcohol bottles kept in a liquor shop in Azad Nagar area of Bhopal to oppose the outlet.
In the same year, Bharti had tied two cows in front of a liquor shop in Orchha town of Niwari district, which is famous for temples and palaces, and exhorted people to drink milk and not alcohol under her 'Madhushala mein gaushala' (cowshed in liquor vend) programme.
In 2023, Bharti stayed at a temple for a couple of days in Bhopal demanding the excise policy be made more stringent.
Earlier this year, the Mohan Yadav government banned the sale of liquor in 17 holy towns in the state, including Ujjain, Omkareshwar, Maheshwar, Mandleshwar, Chitrakoot and Amarkantak.
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Woman, 2 sons found dead in Delhi home; suicide suspected
New Delhi (PTI): Three members of a family were found dead inside their home in southeast Delhi's Kalkaji on Friday, with police suspecting it to be a case of suicide, officials said.
Police said the incident came to light around 2.47 pm when a police team reached the premises to execute a court order related to possession of the property. When repeated knocks went unanswered, the staff used a duplicate key to open the door.
Inside, officers found Anuradha Kapoor (52) and her sons, Ashish Kapoor (32) and Chaitanya Kapoor (27), hanging from the ceiling, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southeast) Hemant Tiwari said in a statement. All three were declared dead.
A handwritten note was recovered from the room, suggesting the family had been struggling with depression.
"The handwritten note indicates emotional distress faced by the family due to which the family may have taken the extreme step," the officer said.
The bodies have been shifted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) mortuary for post-mortem and other legal formalities under Section 194 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), police said.
Residents of the neighbourhood said they were shocked to learn about the deaths, adding that the family kept largely to themselves.
Pankaj Kashyap, a resident of Girinagar, said he learnt about the deaths while leaving for work. "I live and work here and was leaving for work when I saw many people standing outside and talking. That is how I got to know that three people had committed suicide. I also saw several police vehicles outside, but I do not know much beyond that," he said.
Baldev, another neighbour, said the family had been living in the newly constructed house for around two years. "We only knew that a mother and her two children lived there. They had moved into the newly built house around two years ago. We did not interact much with them. Today we heard that all three have committed suicide, and whatever we know is based on what people here are saying," he said.
Another neighbour, Ramesh Kumar, claimed the family had earlier attempted suicide.
"About fifteen to twenty days ago, the two sons in the family had attempted suicide and police and ambulances had come. That was when I first got to know who they were. I do not recognise them by face, but we saw the ambulances and police take the two sons that day. Today again we saw ambulances and police arriving, so everyone came out to see what had happened. I do not know how long they had been living here, but this is all we know," he said.
Police said they are examining the family's financial condition, social circumstances, and other factors that may have contributed to the incident. Further investigation is underway.
