IANS.
Bhopal: Barging into a liquor store, senior BJP leader Uma Bharti vandalised the place in the Barkhera Pathani area of Madhya Pradesh on Sunday. The former Chief Minister has been demanding prohibition of liquor in the state, IANS reported.
Bharti, accompanied by a group of men and women, pelted stones into the store at first and started destroying stocks thereafter. Those accompanying her praised her actions.
After staging the overwhelming stunt, she said she had warned the local administration on Sunday to shut the shop. Otherwise, there will be more consequences, she said.
Two days ago, Bharti had met the State Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and demanded to ban liquor. Her stunt is reportedly after the State government's declaration of a new liquor policy. It allows sales of liquor in Indore and Bhopal airports as well as a price cut of 20 per cent for both indigenous and foreign liquor.
The government is about to implement the policy after the State Cabinet's approval, and the tendering is going on.
Congress used the incident to attack the ruling BJP. A senior Congress leader said that the incident shows Bharti's wish to be back on CM's chair. But she should have stoned offices where excise policies are made, instead of liquor shops, the leader taunted.
More scenes over the liquor issue and new liquor policy were expected to arise in the state in the coming days. This includes Congress' plans to attack the Chouhan government over the liquor issue in the ongoing Budget session in the state.