Social activist and anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare said, “The decision to sell wine in supermarkets and walk-in stores across the state is very unfortunate. Alcoholism is one of the major causes of brutal crimes across the country. State governments should ban alcohol rather than promoting its sale to walk-in shops.”
Hazare further stated, “We need a people’s movement to curb the sale of illicit liquors. Village youth and officials should coordinate with each other to curb the menace” Anna Hazare who always protested against alcoholism felt pained with such mindless decisions of state government.
“Wine is not liquor. If wine sales increase, farmers will benefit from it. We’ve done this to double farmers’ income,” Raut had said on defending his government’s decision to allow the sale of wine in supermarkets walk-in stores.
BJP leader Kirit Somayya slammed Sanjay Raut accusing him of having a partnership with a wine company. Somaiya said, “The decision taken by the Maharashtra government is to benefit the family of Sanjay Raut which is in partnership with a wine company. Raut has a partnership in Maharashtra’s big industrialist Ashok Garg’s wine company named Magpie Global Limited. He has a big investment in this wine business, in which both daughters and wife of Sanjay Raut are in the position of director in the company. MADAK Global Private Limited was renamed Cloud Pie DFS Private Limited. His family gets a profit of about Rs 100 crores annually from Magpie Company.”
The BJP leader further alleged that the said company has a business of wine distribution and Raut’s investment in the company is the reason why he is supporting the decision of the government.
Ram Shere a right-winger said, “One regulated licensed legal shop on population base one per 20kms maximum is one and only solution. Other misleading prohibition of legal liquor trade can fetch few votes from the emotional public who don’t know the consequences of the ban which will prove to be a generator of black money to the bootleggers to the supporters of the ruling party and fund-raising tool to the ruling party, officials, local leaders, opposition as well.”
With the controversy sparked against the Maharashtra government’s wine policy, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut slammed the BJP over their opposition against the government’s decision to allow the sale of wine in supermarkets. He said, “Fadnavis govt planned to make a policy of giving home delivery of liquor online, what was that? BJP MP Sadhvi Pragya said that liquor is medicine and drink it in small quantities.” The liquor home delivery policy also dates back to 2018, when the then government considered an online sale and home delivery policy.”
However, then chief minister Devendra Fadnavis had said there was no such plan. There was no such official decision taken by the government.
The Maharashtra cabinet headed by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has already approved the sale of wine in supermarkets or walk-in stores. Currently, wine is produced in the state from fruits, flowers, and honey. Wineries will now be able to market their wines by selling them directly in supermarkets or in walk-in stores in a shelf-in-shop manner. The decision is expected to benefit small wineries and alternatively, farmers in the state.
