Former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and state Congress chief Kumari Selja on Sunday slammed the BJP-JJP government over the new excise policy, saying it will encourage addiction among the youth.
The excise policy for 2020-21 was unveiled on Thursday and the new rules come into effect from April. It provides that bars in Gurgaon, Faridabad and Panchkula will soon remain open till 1 am as against existing rules that doesn't allow them to run after midnight.
Under the new policy, the bars in these cities can extend their closing time by another two hours after 1 am by paying an additional annual licence fee of Rs 10 lakh per hour.
Hooda, who is the Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly, demanded that the government withdraw the new policy, terming it as a "recipe for disaster".
"The government should immediately withdraw the excise policy as it will push lakhs of youths into addiction," Hooda said at a rally in Narnaund in Hisar district.
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The rally was organised by youth leader Jassi Petwad who had recently joined the Congress.
As per the new policy, the excise duty on beer across categories has been slashed by Rs 10 per bulk litre (BL). Further, individuals can get a temporary licence for serving liquor at their private places.
Slamming the policy, Hooda said, "Our (previous Congress government's) policy was aimed at encouraging sports and making our youth world champions in the field of sports. Their policy is to push the youth of the state into addiction and the new policy is a recipe for disaster."
In a statement issued here, Kumari Selja said, "Our state is already getting entangled in the swamp of drugs. On the other hand, the decision of the government to reduce the prices of beer, allowing the bars in Gurugram, Faridabad and Panchkula to open till 1 am and giving permission to keep liquor boxes in house, shows the intent of the government is not to fight drug menace, but to encourage addiction".
Targeting the new policy, Selja said, "It will have serious consequences, and the youth of the state who are already getting caught in the clutches of drugs, will be increasingly trapped in the morass."
Hooda attacked the Bharatiya Janata Party-Jannayak Janta Party coalition government on other issues too, saying the alliance partners have not been able to work out a common minimum programme even after four months of coming to power.
He said the performance of the government is evaluated on the basis of the steps it is taking to fulfil its pre-poll promises.
"Based on what we have seen, we can say this government has not taken a single step to fulfil the promises it has made in the election manifesto," he alleged.
On the issue of farmers, he charged that the government has worked towards increasing their input costs and not profits.
"The government is pushing our farmers in debt as it has increased the rates on agricultural inputs whereas the hike in the minimum support prices of wheat and paddy has been minimal," he claimed.
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