Alcohol ban might be part of BJP manifesto for Madhya Pradesh polls in 2018

Sources say that the party might initiate such a move by Gandhi Jayanti itself

State is abuzz with speculations if Madhya Pradesh is going Bihar and Gujarat way to put blanket ban on liquor from Coming Gandhi Jayanti. If insiders in the ruling party (BJP) are believed the party may put prohibition in election manifesto during Assembly elections for 2018.

Though state ministers, bureaucrats and even state Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan are non-committal on ban on liquor, insiders in government told Business Standard, a team of experts had been sent to Gujarat and Bihar to study the prohibition model of those states.

"Practical difficulty is in implementing the law, particularly Bihar model. Also state mops up almost Rs 8,000-8,500 crore revenue and has no alternate source as of now," a well-placed source in state government told Business Standard.

The team of experts may come up with an alternate means of revenue.

"As of now there is no plan to put total ban on liquor in the state as state announces its excise policy each year. Recently we have put ban on sale of liquor on 58 shops that have come up in periphery of Narmada river. Putting a total ban on liquor may affect revenue, there is no denying the fact but it is a social evil too. It would be premature to comment on the matter," said Jayant Kumar Malaiya, state commercial tax minister.

The state will go for polls next year and party and well-placed government insiders said it was most likely that either state government would announce a total ban on liquor on coming Gandhi Jayanti that falls on October 2 or the party would include prohibition in its election manifesto.

Recently while holding a campaign named as "Namami Devi Narmade" (save Narmada river campaign) with community support, Chouhan declared no-liquor zone on either sides of the holy river banks that rises from Amarkantak. Liquor shops on highways would be closed in the next phase. However well-placed source in the state government also said it is a tough task for Chouhan government as liquor is a major source of revenue. "Putting ban on liquor would trigger bootlegging and illicit hauling in the bordering areas. The revenue which comes to the government kitty would be shared by those who would be involved in such activities," a senior BJP leader told Business Standard on condition of anonymity.