“Don’t marry daughters to liquor consuming families”

Ahmedabad

In a bid to defeat the menace of ‘drinking’ prevalent in the backward sections of the society, OBC Ekta Manch convener Alpesh Thakor today exhorted his community members to stop marrying their daughters in the families in which consumption of liquor was in practice.

Addressing Vyasan Mukti Mahakumbh’, an awareness rally against the menace of drinking in his community at the GMDC ground here, Thakor also requested the women folk to not to tie ‘rakhdis’ to those brothers who were liquor addicts.

He said that owing to the bad habit of drinking families get ruined. ‘The women folk is the major sufferer. So they all must unite against this menace,’ Thakor said adding that if the practice of drinking and sale of illicit liquor was not stopped in a month then ‘public raids’ would be conducted to forcefully check it. He also appealed the people of his community to create fund for opening education centers and libraries as a counter to the menace.

Thakor also lamented the fact that despite Gujarat being a ‘dry’ state, a large number of people especially from lower strata consume liquor.

He also thanked the Patidar or Patel community for supporting his rally.

The rally for which elaborate security arrangements were made including deployment of more than 3000 police personnel, however, was much less attended than the claim of over 10 lakh people as made by Thakor earlier.

During the rally, which was a kind of ‘show of strength’ for Thakor, who came to limelight due to his stance during the reservation agitation of Patidar Anamat Aandolan Samiti, also claimed that in 2017 the OBC community will decide the fate of the next government. He however said that he would never join politics. Though, Thakor said that If he were made chief minister even for a day he would completely stop the business of illicit liquor in the state. He requested the government to provide alternative employment to those who were involved in the illicit business. ‘Those doing it were also our own people,’ he said.

Chief Minister Mrs. Anandiben Patel, Health Minister Nitin Patel and BJP national vice president Pursottam Rupala hailed the anti-liquor rally. The main opposition Congress also supported the rally.

Meanwhile, the around 190 city buses (of both BRTS and AMTS) on over two dozen routes, stopped in the wake of the rally since 5am in the morning have been resumed in the evening. Police had also created watch towers around the venue and deployed Netra drones for aerial surveillance. CCTV cameras, Water cannons and anti riot teams were also in place to prevent any untoward situation.

Notably, state wide violence had erupted on August 25 last year after a pro reservation rally of the PAAS organized on the same venue.