Why deploy women officials to run liquor shops in MP? Kamal Nath

The Congress on Thursday hit out at the BJP government in Madhya Pradesh for engaging women officials in running liquor shops, which it has taken over for operation from contractors who have surrendered their licences, calling it “shameful”.
After a face-off with around 70 per cent of the contractors who had downed shutters of their liquor vends for well over two weeks fearing poor sales due to the economic slowdown caused by the coronavirus lockdown, the government decided to run them on its own till their rebidding is done.
However, the move has not gone down well with the opposition Congress which has objected to women officials being deployed to manage these liquor outlets, saying it shows dual character of Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
The state government, in some districts, including Bhopal, is running liquor shops with the help of excise department officials besides those of local administration.
The Congress questioned the BJP government over engaging women officials in running liquor outlets.
Former Chief Minister Kamal Nath on Thursday shared a picture in a tweet in which a masked woman in uniform was seen sitting at a shop with shelves of liquor behind her.
He wrote, Shivraj ji, you used to protest a lot when in opposition about liquor in the state, delivered a lot of speeches, alleging that liquor is a threat to sisters and daughters and sat on dharna with them.
“Now you have made sisters and daughters to sit at liquor shops. Nothing can be more shameful and dual character than this?
Several state Congress leaders and other social media users also shared this picture on their Twitter accounts.
Reacting to Naths tweet, senior BJP leader and MLA from Bhopal (Huzur) Rameshwar Sharma said, Women are nowhere engaged in selling liquor, they are part of the administration.”
“After the surrender of contracts, the state government has been planning to issue short-term tenders to get new contractors. The process will be over soon, he told PTI.
Sharma said the erstwhile the Kamal Nath government had planned for home delivery of liquor.
Instead of caring for governments revenue, Congress leaders only cared for themselves during their government in the state, he said.
State Excise Commissioner Rajiv Chandra Dubey told PTI in Gwalior that several officials of the excise department are women and they are engaged in the new arrangement.
The duty of women employees and officers (at liquor shops) is a non-issue. Excise officers are women in several districts.
“Besides, women collectors in many districts oversee the implementation of policies related to alcohol, so it is wrong to question it, Dubey said.
Meanwhile, officials said nearly 1,800 liquor shops in MP had been closed by contractors.
A few of them have decided to reopen their outlets and not surrendered their contracts, they said.
The governments move to run liquor shops came after the MP High Court on June 4 issued an interim direction to contractors, asking them to furnish affidavits within three working days stating if they were ready to reopen their vends.
A majority of the contractors had expressed their unwillingness to reopen their shops, officials said.