The month long state-wide anti-liquor campaign organised by Welfare Party of India, West Bengal state committee concluded with a huge rally in Kolkata on 27 January.
Shouting slogans and holding placards like “Don’t want wine; we want milk, want wine-free Bengal!”, hundreds and thousands of people marched from Park Circus Seven Point towards Bipin Bihari Ganguly Street. The anti-liquor campaign was widely supported everywhere, including villages, towns and even in metro cities like Kolkata. In some areas young people came forward willingly to help in wall-writing and fixing posters for the campaign. The most significant thing was the participation of women. Hundreds of women from across the state joined the rally with brooms.
Dr. Raisudeen, State President of WPI, said, “Welfare Party struggles against wine. This is a prohibited drink for human beings and we demand it to be banned across the state.”
Welfare Party of India’s state media coordinator Mokhtar Hussain Mondal told Radiance, “If Bihar and Kerala governments can ban wine in their States, why can’t West Bengal do so? Thousands of poor families are ruined every year due to wine and drug addiction but the government is maintaining silence. On the other hand, the Government grants licence for wine-shops and wine companies randomly all over the state. It seems that this is the only source of revenue for the government.”
A few years ago in South 24 Parganas of West Bengal 182 people died after consuming poisonous wine. Even in November last year three persons died from consumption of wine. Even the wine addicted persons who are alive are in an extreme deplorable situation and are engaged in routine domestic violence.
Along with campaigning at the grassroots level at villages, towns and cities, Welfare Party used several social networking sites widely for their anti-liquor campaign.
After concluding the rally, a delegation led by Sarwar Hassan, State Secretary of WPI, met with the officials of the Excise Department and demanded blanket ban on liquor. The in-charge of the Excise Department promised the delegation to curb illegal wine factories.
Mr. Monsha Sen, Vice-President, WPI; Shahzadi Parveen, President, women wings, WPI; Mittunjay Mallik, President, Republican Party of India (RPI); and Sumanta Hera, Ex-MLA were among the dignitaries who participated in the programme.