Raipur: Congress leader Pawan Khera on Thursday said that to ban liquor in Chhattisgarh was a “target” of the party’s government in the state, and it would be achieved through a step-by-step approach.
Speaking at a news conference here, he also said that voting for the BJP in the coming assembly elections would amount to “handing over Chhattisgarh’s assets to Adani.”
Asked about the Congress’s 2018 election promise to implement prohibition in the state which remains unfulfilled, Khera said, “See, that is a target, and to achieve a target, there is a process. Some steps have to be taken, and steps have been taken. Some 100 liquor shops have been closed in the last five years.
“We are not like (prime minister) Narendra Modi….We cannot do something like his note ban. We will do it as a process so that there isn’t any mismanagement in society. We cannot stop it suddenly. Rs 2,000 notes could not be used even for seven years (after introduction) and they (BJP) ask us what we did in 75 years,” he said.
“The process has begun. The target is complete prohibition,” the Congress leader added.
Voting for the BJP in Chhattisgarh means to hand over the state’s assets to the Adani industrial group, he said.
The state Congress also distributed a pamphlet on Thursday that read ‘Alert! If the lotus button is pressed (on voting machine), Adani will come out from VVPAT.’
Highlighting the Congress government’s schemes for farmers, youth, tribals and labourers, Khera claimed that if the BJP came to power, welfare schemes will be shut down.
“They (BJP) do not follow raj dharma' (ruler's duty) but stay loyal to their friends. We followraj dharma’,” Khera said.
Asked about the Aam Aadmi Party, a member of the Opposition bloc INDIA which is yet contesting polls in Chhattisgarh, Khera said the INDIA alliance is for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Chhattisgarh will go to assembly polls on November 7 and 17.
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