The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : New Democracy waging battle against ‘bottle' in Agency

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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

New Democracy waging battle against ‘bottle' in Agency

G. Nagaraja

Most of the earnings of tribals go for liquor, says party district secretary

— Photo: A.V.G. Prasad

For a cause: The adivasis at a meeting convened by the CPI (ML-New Democracy) at Kannarappadu in the West Godavari Agency.

PULIRAMANNAGUDEM (WEST GODAVARI AGENCY): It is literally swimming against the tide for the CPI (ML-New Democracy) to carry the adivasis along with it in the Agency of West Godavari district in pursuit of its ‘writ' against liquor consumption.

The New Democracy, which holds the sway over the tribals in Buttayagudem mandal in the Agency, asks the tribals to keep away from cheap liquor and illicit liquor in its strongholds, while allowing natural brews prepared with the substances extracted from palm and cashew plants. But the party, which operates underground squads in the West Godavari Agency and in the forests falling under the neighbouring Khammam district, ‘bans' the making of illicit liquor in the villages where it has its presence. Of late, the party faces stiff resistance from the tirbal youths while enforcing its writ against the liquor consumption, according to CPI-ML (New Democracy) district secretary P. Sudhakar.

Obviously backed by the bootleggers, the tribals tend to ignore the appeals of the party leadership to desist from liquor. "We do not know whether we simply go along the tide of popular mood or swim against it in line with our party's writ regardless of the resistance put up by the tribals", Mr. Sudhakar told The Hindu. Most of the earnings of tribals go for liquor while the spending on food consumption, health and housing needs remain abysmally low, forcing the party to take up a campaign to save them from liquor, he said.

The New Democracy is forced to relax its so-called ‘prohibition', allowing tribals come drunk from outside. As per the relaxation, they are not supposed to carry arrack sachets or liquor bottles into their villages from outside. Carriage of such prohibited brews attracts a fine of Rs 500. Kdhala Challamma, sarpanch of the Kannarappadu village, said the gram panchayat had accrued a sum of Rs 34,000 in the form of such fines collected from the addicts last year. Kachula Rami Reddy, village servant, admits, "I paid Rs 2,000 towards fine during the year. But I cannot keep myself away from liquor". The party has constituted the vigilance committees at the village-level which guard the entry points and frisk the tribals for the prohibited material.

Mr. Sudhakar said the mobility of tribals from the forests to the urban centres has increased manifold, thanks to a spurt in the two-wheelers and the increased road accessibility which gave rise to their liquor addiction.

"We are left with no alternative but to build awareness among the adivasis against the vice," he adds.

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