Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (RJP)

Mangaluru, Apr 14: Bihar has become a total liquor-free state. DMK in Tamil Nadu has already announced that it will make the state completely free from liquor if it comes to power. Is there any possibility of Karnataka too becoming a liquor-free state too?

The state has already made it mandatory for liqour shops to stay shut during the entire period of election code of conduct. The move has been welcomed by many, but not gone down well with small time liquor dealers.

No demands on a big scale have been made so far in the state for a total liquor ban. But there are small attempts which are yet to gather momentum.

When legislator B R Patil met Dharmadhikari of Dharmasthala Dr Veerendra Heggade on Wednesday, he urged Dr Heggade to convene a convention of religious leaders in June in Bengaluru to put pressure on the state government to ban liquor in the state. B R Patil said that such a move by religious heads will help in convincing the government in making the state a completely liquor-free state.

While the religious heads have managed to create awareness on the evils of liquor in their respective areas, they have not come together so far. Dharmasthala stands tall among all institutions in the state in creating such awareness for the past three decades. If such state-level convention is held, it will serve as a big moral boost for the demands of people who want a liquor-free state.

On the other hand, a blanket ban on liquor, if it ever happens, would not be liked by party animals especially in Bengaluru, known by some as the 'pub capital' of India. It will definitely dampen the city's popular New Year celebrations, unless some leniency is shown by the government on such occasions.

Nevertheless, with the Siddaramaiah government recently proposing to open more liquor shops in the state, a ban may be unlikely at least in the near future.