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Onam Terrorism and Maveli Horror
Ameera Shah
Sep 2010
Sep 2010
All lotteries are a gamble and immoral ambition to make a huge wealth without pain of labour. This is avarice sans work making Big Wealth by Blitz, community resource robbing the poor multitude of their little illth, fleecing. In a lottery one man robs many to ballroom himself rich by mire chance inflicting a small loss on a large number. Even Macaulay’s sense of coarse morality of Victorian Vintage sees a crime in this unjust Operation and so makes it a penal offense and an illegality save when the State considering the moral good sanctions it.
Kerala is perhaps the “most drunken State” in India, with its per capita consumption of liquor rising by the year. The government, of course, benefits from its monopolistic business arm, the Kerala State Beverages Corporation. The governmental pursuit seems to give the beverages some level of “respectability.” Of course the arrangement provides jobs to a number of people in the public sector, but it also makes more young people taste the so-called d elights of the drink than would have been the case otherwise.
To set the record straight, it must be stated at the outset that this is not to question or attack the powers vested in the state to regulate any trade in the manner it deems fit. But this is a trade where the turnover tempts the customer to take rolling trips into the realm of the jocose, the lachrymose and then the comatose. Many a fracas, felony, road accident and incident of street violence starts with alcoholism. Most rapes and sex crimes happen after intoxicating sip after sip of the liquid. Terrible crimes are committed by drunkards. The jocose first sip, the bellicose second sip, the lachrymose third sip… And with the final gulp you become comatose and lie down somewhere, often not knowing where. If this happens at home, the wife gets beaten if she protests. With much of the income spent on the stuff, the family often ends up bankrupt. Instances of hospitalisation owing to the drink evil seem to be on the rise in the State.
On whom does the blame rest? The State that grants liquor vends and bar licences rarely investigates this aspect. But liquor can be seen to violate the fundamental right of the citizen to travel around in peace, have friendly association with others, and live in fraternity.
Why do even Marxist governments make people bankrupt by granting easy licences to clubs with liquor-dispensing bars attached to them? I entreat on bended knees that the government’s executive wing be rid of this alcoholic curse. And as Morarji Desai had wanted done, judges should be asked to swear not to drink and they should be dismissed summarily if found guilty of habitual alcohol consumption.
In holding almost a monopoly in the sale of these beverages, Kerala is in the company of neighbouring Tamil Nadu, which not only manufactures but vends liquor as a monopoly. The business profits from alcohol consumption belong to the State. Who will dare dismiss a government for violating Article 47 of the Constitution? For there are complicated political equations involved.
Gandhi is dead. So too is Rajaji, who as Chief Minister/Prime Minister of Tamil Nadu had implemented a prohibition policy successfully. Even now it can work a la Gujarat. Malabar under Madras had a prohibition policy.
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