Mallya Terms Prohibition ‘Farce’; Modi Rebuffs
In the wake of Ahmedabad hooch tragedy, liquor mogul Vijay Mallya has said that politicians should realize that prohibition is a “farce” and it cannot be enforced.
“The farce of prohibition which cannot be enforced leads to illegal, unhygienic and unsupervised production of deadly cocktails which claim innocent lives. It is about time that the political masters face reality in the interest of people,” said Mallya, chief of United Breweries, India’s leading liquor company.
He asked Chief Minister Narendra Modi to reconsider the state’s prohibition policy, which, he claimed, is responsible for smuggling of liquor in the state.
“Narendra Modi knows fully well that every brand of alcohol is available in the state of Gujarat at two or three times the price charged in neighbouring states,” he said.
Reacting to his remarks, the Gujarat government rejected the suggestions. “Mallya should not interfere in our matters; he should look after his liquor business. He should keep his policies to himself – we don’t need suggestions,” said state government spokesperson Jaynarayan Vyas.
