Cuttack, March 18: All India Mahila Congress (AIMC) chief and Congress spokesperson Shobha Oza has castigated the State government for not taking steps to stop narcotics trade.
Addressing party workers hereon Thursday, Oza accused the State government of patronizing alcohol culture in Odisha. “The women in Odisha are reeling under the terror of the trade which had led to an upsurge in the crime rate across the State,” she stated.
“The Naveen Patnaik-led State government has turned a blind eye to women’s issues as it gets huge money in the form of excise duty from the trade,” alleged the Congress leader and asserted that the party would go to any extent to make Odisha liquor-free.
Holding placards with anti-liquor slogans, hundreds of party followers took part in a rally in the silver city and presented a memorandum to the revenue divisional commissioner (RDC).
The meeting also raised the Namtara anti-liquor campaign issue in which over a hundred villagers, including women, were injured when police opened fire and resorted to baton charge on the protesters, who were demanding closure of a wine shop in Namatara village in Kendrapara district last March.
