The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : It is a conspiracy to revoke ban: BJP

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Thursday, May 22, 2008
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Karnataka

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It is a conspiracy to revoke ban: BJP

Special Correspondent

Sonia Gandhi urged to make known her stand on the issue
‘Lower-end liquor prices increased recently’

BANGALORE: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday termed the hooch tragedy, which claimed more than 100 lives, as a conspiracy hatched jointly by the Congress and the Janata Dal (Secular) to build a case for revoking the arrack ban.

BJP chief ministerial candidate B.S. Yeddyurappa said the Congress had expressed its intention to withdraw the arrack ban through its leader B. Janardhan Poojary.

The Congress was trying to set the stage for revoking arrack ban by attributing the hooch tragedy to the ban, he said.

He denied the allegations that arrack ban led to the hooch tragedy. “If that is true, then why no hooch tragedy took place for nearly seven months since the arrack was banned on July 1, 2007 and when we were in power,” he wondered.

Pointing out that such a tragedy had taken place when Governor Rameshwar Thakur was at the helm of State administration, he accused the Governor of failure to prevent the tragedy.

He even charged the Governor with delaying the arrest of the prime accused in the hooch tragedy.

He urged Congress president Sonia Gandhi to make known her stand on the hooch episode as it took place during the President’s rule. Pointing out that prices of the lower-end liquor varieties had been increased in the State recently under President’s rule, he said: “It is an injustice meted out by the Governor to poor people.”

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