Kolkata, Dec. 13:
Addiction to alcohol and playing lottery has affected a large number of people. The most affected are women, owing to which homes get destroyed and eventually a sort of chaos prevails in society. Keeping this in view, a huge number of women took to the streets here under the banner of the Welfare Party of India (WPI), demanding a blanket ban on lottery and liquor.
The WPI held a massive march in Kolkata with the call to create an India free of alcohol and lottery, usury and bribery. On Monday, a procession started from the city’s Ramlila Park to Gandhi Statue at Dharmatala.
Thousands of women raised their voice against the glaring vices of the society.Their slogan included, ‘We want liquor-lottery-free India’. Apart from women, a large number of farmers, workers, teachers, students and youth were also present in the procession,raising voices against liquor, usury, lottery and bribery. Leading the procession, the party’s national president Dr.Qasim Rasool Ilyas said the strong voice against alcohol from Bengal will spread throughout the country.
WPI State General Secretary Sarwar Hasan said, “Hopefully, the government’s tone will be shaken after today’s historic movement. People have come beyond our imagination; let liquor, usury, bribes and lotteries fly from India. The government should understand how angry people are against these social evils.”
The party’s central general secretaries Subramani Arumugam and Seema Mohsin quipped,“If Bihar and Kerala governments can ban wine in their States, why can’t West Bengal do so? Poor families are ruined every year due to wine and drug addiction but the government is silent and not taking any action.”
The party has decided to continue its movement against these social evils.