“No More Waiting, Will Open Cow Sheds in Alcohol Shops”: BJP Leader Uma Bharti

GG News Bureau

Bhopal, 1st Feb. Uma Bharti, a veteran of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), on Tuesday sought to link the rise in cases of crime against women in Madhya Pradesh, which her party rules, to alcohol consumption and pushed for the conversion of liquor outlets that are operating illegally into cow shelters.

Bharti announced the launch of the “Madhushala Me Gaushala” (cow shelters in place of liquor outlets) program in support of her demand for a “controlled” liquor policy in the state after a four-day stay at a temple in Bhopal.

On Saturday afternoon, the former Madhya Pradesh chief minister arrived at a temple near a liquor shop in the state capital’s Ayodhya Nagar trisection and announced she will remain there until the government announces a new liquor policy.

She ended her four-day stay at the temple on Tuesday because the state government delayed announcing its liquor policy.

Bharti told the media that a liquor shop near the famous Ram Raja Sarkar temple at Orchha in Niwari district, about 350 kilometers from Bhopal, was illegal.

“Without waiting for the liquor policy, I will start converting liquor shops, which are being run in contravention of rules, into cow shelters,” she said.

Bharti stated that she has directed that 11 cows be put outside the “illegal” liquor shop in Orchha.

“Will see who dares to stop me… will feed these cows and arrange water for them at the liquor shop,” said the former Union minister.

Governments are being formed in the name of Lord Ram, but a liquor shop has been allowed to come up near the Ram Raja Sarkar temple in Orchha, she said.

According to Bharti, who cited an unnamed report, the BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh is leading in crime against women, and liquor consumption is one of the reasons for this troubling trend.

Bharti claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “magic” is allowing the BJP to win elections.

“People have the choice to elect good or bad people in a democracy… When one has a choice between bad and very bad, the people elect the bad, which is not an achievement… Forming a government is not a big deal but the big thing is to develop a healthy society and ensure protection of women and the future of children,” the BJP leader maintained.

She claimed that a section of the BJP has been mocking her and linking her anti-alcohol drive to her political ambitions.

Bharti stated that she has served as CM, a Union minister, and now only the position of Prime Minister remains to be attained, but only a few politicians can hold that position.

“Will I get that post (of PM) due to liquor prohibition agitation? A section of the BJP is spreading such things,” she said.

Bharti also threatened that she will begin revealing what ministers, MPs, and MLAs say to her as such people are constantly meeting with her.

The senior BJP leader stated that during a meeting with Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, the latter agreed to implement a “controlled” liquor policy.

Earlier, in an address to the public, Bharti claimed that women do not want schemes like the recently announced Ladli Bahina Yojana (aimed at financially disadvantaged women), but rather a controlled liquor policy.