On Prohibition-Dangers of a Blanket Solution

Dangers of a Blanket Solution Vinod Vyasulu He thought he saw a Buffalo Upon the chimney-piece; He looked again and found it was His Sister's Husband's Niece. 'Unless you leave this house,' he said, 'I'll send for the Police!' -Lewis Carroll THE government of Karnataka has decided (but not yet begun) to implement a policy of prohibition, under which the sale and consumption of alcoholic liquor will be made illegal in the entire state. Manufacture of liquor will however continue; it is to be sold outside the state. Offenders would face prosecution. Worse, they will face societal disapproval. Life, for even the casual drinker, will become very difficult This is a major change in a state where all kinds of liquor have till now been freely available, and whose cosmopolitan citizens have prided themselves on their tolerance and civilised behaviour, especially where drining is concerned, Why has this change come about? It is not easy to say. There are many reasons. The major one lies in the fact yes, fact that liquor drinking by men has caused havoc in many homes, especially poor homes. The brunt of this misery has fallen on women and children. In recent times this misery has translated itself into a major vote bank politics that politicians cannot ignore. In a limited sense, it is a dramatic offshoot of the total literacy campaign in Nellore district These newly literate women began to demand prohibition in an organised way. Liquor became a political issue. Whatever the politicians individually believe, they now seem to feel that supporting a policy of prohibition will win them (women's) votes. They see how it brought N T Rama Rao back to power in Andhra Pradesh (AP). They, too would like to cash in on this new mantra.