I couldn't save my son: union minister's emotional appeal on alcoholism

Sultanpur: Union Minister Kaushal Kishore appealed to the people not to marry off their daughters and sisters to alcoholics, narrating the painful story of his son.

A rickshaw puller or a labourer will prove to be a better bridegroom than an alcoholic officer, the Union Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs said.

"The lifespan of an alcoholic is very less," Kishore reasoned, while addressing a programme on de-addiction in the Lambhua assembly constituency here on Saturday.

Narrating his personal experience, he said, "When I as an MP and my wife as an MLA could not save the life of our son, then how will the common public do so." "My son (Akash Kishore) was into the habit of consuming alcohol with his friends. He was admitted to a de-addiction centre. Assuming that he will quit the bad habit, he was married after six months. However, he started drinking again after his marriage, and that eventually led to his death. Two years ago, on October 19, when Akash passed away, his son was barely two years old," the Union minister said.

Kaushal Kishore told the gathering, "I could not save my son, due to which his wife became a widow. You must save your daughters and sisters from this." "In the freedom movement, 6.32 lakh people had sacrificed their lives fighting the British in a span of 90 years, while due to addiction, every year around 20 lakh people die," the minister noted.

The MP from Mohanlalganj Lok Sabha constituency in Uttar Pradesh also said around 80 per cent of the cancer deaths are due to addiction to tobacco, cigarettes, and 'bidi'.

He urged the audience and other organisations to be a part of the de-addiction programme, and save their families.

The minister added that in order to make the district addiction-free, the de-addiction campaign should be taken to all schools, and during the morning prayers itself, advice regarding this should be given to the children.

PTI with minor edits