Aurangabad MP urges Uddhav to cancel ration cards of those standing in queues

Move to open liquor shops in red zones ridiculous: AIMIM leader

Aurangabad MP and All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM) leader Imtiaz Jaleel on Monday dubbed as ridiculous the State’s decision to permit standalone liquor shops to open in COVID-19 ‘red zones’ (barring containment areas). Mr. Jaleel warned that he would break lockdown rules and come out on the streets to oppose the move if a single liquor shop opened in Aurangabad city. Mr. Jaleel urged Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray to cancel the ration cards of those standing in queues to buy liquor and said the government’s decision was bound to have unpleasant social repercussions. It is shameful that the Maharashtra government has taken this decision, especially as Aurangabad is in the ‘red zone’ with COVID-19 cases surging by the day,” he told The Hindu . “The pretext of generating much-needed revenue from liquor in the backdrop of the economic crisis brought about by COVID-19 does not hold water as Maharashtra is a rich, progressive State. Going by the scenes witnessed on Monday in Pune, Solapur, Kolhapur and other areas in Maharashtra, the police appear to be having a tough time managing the long queues outside liquor shops,” Mr. Jaleel said. Holding breweries in Aurangabad accountable for guzzling water sorely needed in Marathwada, the MP alleged that brewery owners had not contributed a penny from their corporate social responsibility funds towards providing any kind of medical aid to help those fighting the pandemic. He further said while he had been appreciative of the good work done by Mr. Thackeray in combating COVID-19, this single decision threatened to erase all the goodwill hitherto garnered by the CM. Apart from Mumbai, kilometre-long queues were witnessed in several areas in Pune outside wine shops with people showing scant regard for social distancing and other lockdown norms. Subscription Benefits Include Today's Paper Find mobile-friendly version of articles from the day's newspaper in one easy-to-read list.

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